A Scent I Love
by Juxtaposed Soul
Summary: They had all left. Left her in the woods, literally. And unlike the original there are no wolves. Rather there are two vampires with eyes that show them as human drinkers. Looks like Bella isn't going to get out with her life this time. And maybe that might just be for the best.
1. Chapter 1

Awareness, for Bella, returned slowly. There was the ceasing of tears first, the salty tracks drying, turning crusty in places. And then with time the accompanying buzz faded as well. The world became clearer and clearer, she felt the drizzle soaking into her skin, drip after drip. Finally then, she could focus, the trees loomed tall and forboding around her, the sky darkened with each passing moment. She needed to get out of here! She didn't know how long it had been but her father would be worried.

Her grief had made her foolish, she had drowned in it, moving without knowing and she didn't know the way out. She couldn't just stay here though, she would have to wander, find some way out. Maybe not out of the pain straight away, but definitely out of the forest. She walked in the first direction that she thought she could see light, trusting non-existent senses to get her out of the woods.

Her clumsiness prevailed as she clambered roughly over the uneven terrain. Wayward branches cut harshly into her legs, tearing sharp and wragged into tender flesh. And trees up above wreached down their knarled arms, taking bitter swipes at her face as she passed them by. Her arms were granted some reprieve by the thick material of jumper but with each unsure step the woollen material unravelled.

She had been so sure she had been following the light but there had been no sign of it for so long, the sky gradually darkened up above her as the day slipped into unforgiving night. Hunger started to claw like a caged animal at her empty stomach, her lips and mouth were like sandpaper, bereft of any sustenance to hydrate them. Slowly but surely she was losing her energy, depleted by both the exertion and the blood dripping down her legs, caressing her cheeks.

She allowed herself a moment of bitter introspection: _It's probably best that they're gone. They would have had a field day with this._ But of course that just brought the grief back to the forefront of her mind. The loss of those she had come to see as family but had left her at the drop of a hat. They had not even bothered a goodbye. But then again if Edward's words were to be believed then she didn't mean enough for that small mercy.

She didn't know how she could believe it, maybe Rosalie, the cold woman who had never shown affection for Bella, maybe Jasper out of some misplaced guilt, escaping the emotions that must batter him all the time. Maybe even Carlisle, whilst he had cared he would do what he thought was best to protect their coven, protect his vampires from discovery by Aro and the high kings. But that was where her belief ended. She couldn't believe it of Esme, the woman who had endured cooking human food just to make Bella feel more welcome. Who had worried over every bruise and scrape she had gotten, fighting her blood lust to ensure she was properly fixed up. She couldn't believe it of Emmett, her big brother, who had given her the warmest hugs despite his cold skin, who was so careful with her, who was the friendlist guy she had ever met, who could always put a smile on her face, but was the first to stand up for her honour. She couldn't believe it of Alice, her best friend who had taken her shopping, and made her laugh and cared so much. She couldn't believe they would just leave her without a goodbye. But they had.

And once she started to think, what little energy she had left was substituted with grief. Such a debilitiating emotion that gripped her heart and stole her effort. She crashed. She was still lost, she was freezing, and what had been a drizzle was starting to pick up. She wasn't going to survive the night if she wasn't careful. Searching aimlessly was just wasting precious energy, so she settled in the shade of a tree, the thick leaved above her shielded her shivering body from the worst of the rain. It was the best she could expect, she could only hope that rescue came sometime soon, to take her away from this forest and the creeping cold.

Once she was settle she hesitantly rolled the base of her trousers up. Her ankle was slightly swollen and there was more blood than she would have liked but it could have been worse. It could have beena damn sight worse. And so with that thought in mind she slipped into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new story. I should have done this at the start of the first chapter but forgot. So, hi welcome, I believe this is my first het story. I hope you enjoy it and will stay for the full ride.**

Bella awoke the next morning due to the sun poking through the cover of leaves that she had sheltered beneath. That was always a first, sunshine in Forks. She felt a glimmer of disapppointment as the realisation that no saviour had come as of yet. She would just have to keep waiting. No she couldn't just be a sitting duck. Despite the hunger still twisting in her guts she'd have to walk on, at least to try and find some water, even if she couldn't find her way out quite yet.

With a sigh she stood up, brushing forest debris from her person, before finally looking up. To come face to face with a small woman with burning ruby eyes. A scream rose through her throat, but fear stopped her from letting it out. She backed away from the dirty blonde in front of her. There wasn't much room for escape though, her back hitting a tree. The vampire before her didn't move?

"Who sent you? Was it Victoria? Was it the Cullens? Did they decide to off me because of their laws but their veggie hearts couldn't handle doing it themselves?" Still the vampire girl didn't move closer, she just put her hands up as if to calm a frightened animal.

"I'm not here to hurt you. You shouldn't even know what we are. Me and my mate only hunt criminals. We were just going to help you out the forest." And despite the ruby in the woman's eyes there was also truth. Enough truth for Bella to let her guard down. There was no doubt in trying to run anyway. If the vampire truly wanted to hurt her there would be no escape. She knew that.

"Is this town just a vampire hot spot? Are you just passing through or what? And did you mention a second vampire?" And though she had accepted the precariousness of her fate, the wariness was not totally eradicated. It would have been stupid not being wary. She knew how much danger a vampire could pose.

"We were sort of passing through, in that we came for a short visit with an old friend. And yes my mate is about somewhere but I sent him out to the town to go pick up some food and liquid for you so you didn't go and die on us." Still the vampire had that calming tone that was obviously meant to placate. And despite Bella knowing it could just be a false sense of security she felt herself responding the the calm tone and strong southern twang.

Seeing that the human was responding the vampire lead the human to a clearing in the forest, guiding her to a fallen tree who's trunk acted as a seat. The vampire took a seat on the floor, in an effort to intimidate the girl they had come to rescue.

"I thought now they'd left I'd be free of your lot. I'm Bella, and you are?" Bella gave up on her fear, it was just expending energy that she could not spare.

"I'm Charlotte. My mate who should be returning soon is called Peter. Once you have some very energy back in you I would be very interested in finding out just how you know what we are." And she was. She'd just come to visit the Major. She hadn't expected to rescue some waif of a girl and for that girl to know what they were.

They sat in silence for a good five minutes. Bella merely didn't have the energy left to talk and Charlotte respected that, or at least seem to realise it. She merely sat at the girl's feet watching her to make sure that she did not become ill or she faced any other threat.

Finally though there was a very faint russle of trees, a crinkle of a plastic bag before a male vampire was revealed. He was tall, and very broad, with eyes as red as his mate's and hair that was blonde with streaks of brunette through it, giving it a dark look. Charlotte looked up immediately, smelling the scent of her mate seconds before she saw him, her eyes lighting up and jumping up at her natural speed.

She help back a laugh at Peter's widening eyes as she kissed him on the cheek and took the plastic bag full of produce from him. His voice was urgent as he spoke to his love at the natural speed and volume for his species.

"What are you playing at Char? This is a rescue mission not a revealing mission." This time she did laugh as she made her way over to an exhausted Bella, pulling out the bottle of water first, pulling the lid off and holding it out to the girl who accepted it with a grateful smile. Once the girl had taken the bottle Charlotte turned back round to her mate.

"This one is going to prove interesting. She already knows what we are." Now that definitely got Peter's attention.

"Maybe we were meant to meet the girl for some reason. It might explain why my senses were so adament that we go at specifically this point." Charlotte cocked her head to the side. She was very familiar with her mate's power, knowing that there was usually some higher message to the little notes the voices left her mate. This would make sense as well, the voices kept delaying him until a very specific time, only then would the power's that be that resided in Peter's head and ruled their lives, let them go. She could now only wonder what made this human so important.

Now that Peter was back though, she pulled him down to her perch on the floor, his arm almost automatically snaking around her waist, and her head resting on her shoulder. They watched as the human first downed the water, guzzling it in deep gulps, looking healthier by the second, as her body was re-hydrated. It was with a mix of fascination and disgust with which they watched her tuck into her food. Fascination at how she bit into the food, a look of rapt delight as she munched quickly through the produce. But also disgust at the scent that permeated from the sandwich. A chicken tikka. Whatever that was.

When she was finished with the food she put the rubbish in the plastic bag before smiling and pulling a little box out of the bag. Again she flashed a grateful smile at the vampire's sat before her as she took two of the paracetamol with what remaining water she had. Almost instantly she felt relief from the headache with which she had dealt since the prior day.

Once she was settled again she turned back to her two new companions, finally ready to face their questions.

"Thank you so much Peter and Charlotte. I don't think I would have lasted much longer without the water and the food was definitely wonderful. How did you know to get paracetamol?" The newcomer shrugged with an almost evil smirk, that was still somehow angry.

"Asked the nice lady in the shop what was beat for some simple aches and pains." His voice was deep with an even stronger southern lilt to it than his mate's. Bella nodded in response, it made sense, much less likely than it just being a lucky lady.

"So how did you find out about us, Little Lady?" Peter wasn't the most patient of people at the best of times, and knowing from his mate that the little waif before him knew what they were had his curiosity going mad. Her response was definnitely one he hadn't been expecting.

"I dated one." He hadn't been expecting it because by all logic, the vampire should either be here making a claim to her as a human pet, or she should be dead because he was done with his fun. This defied all logic.

"And why are you in this big bad forest and without your vampire." He was not prepared for the sadness that overtook her features, her big brown eyes going flat and dead, with just the hint of a tear in her eye. Whatever pain it was, was obviously fresh.

"One of his family members tried to take a munch out of me on my birthday. Things were weird for a week or so, with me and his whole family and then yesterday asked me to go for a walk with him. Into this big bad forest. Told me that the rest of his family had left and that neither him or any of his family had cared for me in all the time they had been here." During her explanation a few of her tears had spilled over and Charlotte had left her mate's side to wrap a comforting arm around the girl's shoulder. She leant into the offered cool body, the feeling both familiar and different, but definitely comforting as the woman shh'd her gently.

Her mate was not as sympathetic. He let out a snort as he shook his head. "I can't believe you dated Doucheward Cullen." Charlotte was just about to chastise her outspoken mate before she was beaten to the punch by an amused laugh from the girl beside her.

"Well I know it was a bad idea now. I was starting to resent him, he was so controlling. He didn't want me to see my friends, tried to separate me from my dad, would only allow me free access with certain members of his family. But his family, they accepted me, I thought they cared about me, and it's their leaving that's truly hurt." This time peter had nothing derisive to say. He wasn't totally heartless.

"Which one tried to take the munch?" Bella quickly realised that these two vampires also knew the Cullens, and was obviously not very fond of Edward. She wasn't sure about their feelings on any others of them yet.

"Jasper..." She was going to comment something more but she was swiftly interrupted by Peter.

"Bullshit. You need to tell us everything that heppened that day, because there is no way that the fucking Major who can be _starving hungry, placed in a pit of bleeding humans and still resist_ and then try and bite one human with only 7 people's bloodlust. You can't even call it 7, more like 6 because that unnatural doctor doesn't feel enough bloodlust to class it at that." A touch of the old fear seeped back into Bella at the vehemance in the male vampire's voice. She pressed back slightly into Charlotte.

"Back off Pete, let her talk." And just as suddenly Peter was back to the nice calm guy that he had appeared before.

"Alice insisted on having a party for me, they were all around, mostly happy. I say mostly because Rosalie was never happy where I was concerned. Alice gave me the last gift. I'm a pretty clumsy human, so of course I had to go and cut my finger on the wrapping paper. Paper cut equals blood. Eyes went black. Edward pulled me closer, Jasper took a step forwards, glaring at me. Then Edward pushed me back into glass. Glass shatters and I bleed. Jasper leaps, Carlisle and Emmett try and restrain him. Edward stands directly in front of me, so I can't see what's going on in his mind." There was silence as the two vampires tried to figure out what had gone on.

"The Major can feel the other's bloodlust annd Edward was always directly in front of you or behind you. It may be that Jasper was going for Edward rather than you. Or he had something against you and was trying to use the situation to off you as if it was an accident. Though if that was the case they wouldn't have left you here, and alive." Bella had never particularly being that close to Jasper. She'd never got the chance. He was one that Edward would never let her access to. Stating he had the least control on his bloodlust. So what this vampire was saying was viable. Especially as he seemed to know Jasper personally.

"Saying that's true. It doesn't matter now. Their gone, and I assume you're not going to just let me home to my dad so I can live my life as if vampires never existed?" Charlotte squeezed Bella sympathetically. She was fond of the human already and was sure with time they could become good friends. This time it was her who took over the conversation from Peter.

"I'm 'fraid not Little Lady. By the sounds of what you said when you first met me you already have a vampire on your back so you have two options. We can kill you, we would do it quickly and as painlessly as possible. Or, we'd much rather, we can take you back to Texas with you, being as the Major's clearly not still in town. We can change you, and offer you protection against this threat." To Bella the offer was simple. She didn't want to die, not just because of bad luck. And maybe she would lose all semblance of the life she had known but that couldn't stop her from building a new one.

"I'll come to Texas with you. If you mostly drain me, and shred my clothes, it'll look like an animal got to me. Of course that will mean blood loss, so you'll have to travel with a changing me if that's viable." The two mates looked at each other, clearly conversing over Bella's head, before eventially they came to a decision.

"As long as we go by the outskirts we'll be perfectly fine, Little Lady."

 **I'd be real happy if you could all leave a review. Let me know what you think, any mistakes you notice, anything you think will happen or want to happen. If you want a chat I'll always answer my PM's as well :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Charlie Swan was not a man inclined towards big shows of emotions. They were something he kept close to his heart, if he felt them at all. He could count the times on one one hand when he had overly shown emotions. He had cried tears of sadness as he lost his parents, tears of joy had met the birth of his beloved daughter, and a crippling anger joined when the mother of his child left him and moved across the country down to Arizona.

As he awoke on a relatively dry say, he did not know he would be adding one more incident to that inclusive list. He had slept fitfully, waiting hour upon hour for Bella to return. He knew she had gone for a walk with her young beau. She had yet to return though, and although she spent less time with him than he liked, she had always told him if she wasn't going to be back for the night. She had heard nothing. He realised she'd probably just forgotten but he was a father, and the ever present worry was ingrained with him.

As soon as he awoke that morning he went down to the phone to check that Bella hadn't left any messages on the answerphone. When it became obvious she hadn't his worry cranked up a little more. He pulled out the phone book and flicked through it until he came to the Cullen residence. It was the most obvious place for her to have gone, so it was the first place for him to try. There was no answer. Even more worryingly there was only a dial tone of a disconnected number. Like the Cullen's were no longer in residence.

Well then maybe she had gone to another friend? Maybe that Lauren girl, or Angela? Alice and Edward weren't the only ones his daughter associated with. He tried Angela first, she was the nicer of the pair he knew, and definitely the one Bella would be more likely to associate with easily and willingly. Surprisingly it was the girl who picked up the house phone and not her mother or father. She answered with a confused hello.

"Sorry, for the early morning call, Bella didn't happen to have spent the night with you did she?" Charlie wasn't a particularly religious man but he was tempted to start praying.

"No, she went for a walk with Edward. I think his family has left and he was telling her goodbye or something?" So it was connected with that Edward boy. Charlie thanked the teenager before hanging up the phone.

Bella wouldn't have left with Edward would she? She'd definitely consider it, she loved the boy, that much he knew despite how much he himself hated the controlling prick. But before he gave her up as a runaway he would ask some of the Quileute boys to check the close forests for her. Maybe she had just gotten a little lost on her walk. That was more like something Bella would do.

Even though the worry still beat at his heart, he went upstairs to get dressed for the day. He had a job to do. He could get the boys on the search once he got to the station. And it was exactly what he did. He called Billy, knowing his old friend had authority over on the reservation. He told him of his worries and the man was quick to say he would send someone out to look for the missing girl.

And so whilst a man sat worried at his desk, glad for no jobs coming in due to his inattention, there was a force sent into the forest. Not willingly though.

Sam Uley had been tempted to refuse when his elder had come to him asking for their help. They were being sent out to go looking for the _leech lover._ He had no idea if she knew what they were but it was bad enough without her knowing. Of course, whilst he was a powerful wolf, Billy Black was an elder and by reservation rules he was bound to obey.

Find the girl. A part of him hoped that the vampire was still with her. An excuse to kill the disgusting leech. And if it was in self-defence, because he was sucking from his pretty little girlfriend well then his _family_ couldn't do anything to stop him could he.

As he went out the door, he sent one final glare at Billy before going off to find the rest of the pack. He was only glad that the Black offspring hadn't shifted yet. He'd have taken it personally being friends with the leech lover and all that. Sam couldn't wait until he could put a stop to that friendship, poisonous as it was.

First though he had to find the girl.

He and his pack bounded through the forest, sniffing at the ground for the scent of the girl. And finally they found it. Deep in the forest, surrounded by the scent of other vampires. More than one scent, slightly overshadowed by the scent of foreign blood signifying the creatures as human drinkers.

 _Do you smell that? Foreign vampires. Definitely not Cullen's._ The initial question had come from Jared

 _It's starting to fade. Whoever they were are gone. Let's see if we can find the remains of the Swan girl._ The reply had come from Sam. He was the Alpha for a reason. The scents intermingled too much for there to be any hope for the Swan girl. The few signs of the Cullen were a good few hours older than the nomad's so she had had no protection.

The search was now fruitless, but Chief Swan would need evidence. And so they traipsed on until they came upon a clearing. A blood drenched clearing. And there at the centre a shredded blue… _thing._ It was too shredded to be a t-shirt.

 _There's so much blood, I didn't think they'd be so_ messy _in their feeding._ The comment had come from the youngest pack member. But the observation made Sam look around. Pieces clicking in his head. The only thing he was missing was the why. This is the first time he had scented these particular scent so the Swan girl couldn't know the scent. So what had possessed the Swan girl to fake her own death and leave with nomads that she couldn't have known.

 _Because this is a set up. The leech-lover left with the foreigners. We take the t-shirt. We tell her father it looks like an animal attack. She won't be coming back here. If she does it won't be a fake death this time._ Sam's voice was hard, even through the mind link. The disgust played in his mind, poisoned his companion's mind with it ferocity.

He bent to pick up the t-shirt between gritted teeth before they all bound swiftly back to the reservation. Once on the outskirts they shifted back to their human forms with varying levels of seamlessness. Still gripping the t-shirt Sam growled out a dismissal to his pack whilst marching up towards the Black house.

Irritated fists pounded relentless on the wooden door until a confused looking Jacob Black opened the door. A little displeasure flashed on the boy's face as he saw who was behind it.

"What do you need, Uley?" His voice was stiff, but a part of him was wary. The anger was rolling off the other young adult in waves, his physique mixed with his demeanour gave him a dangerous presence that screamed 'back off'.

"I need to talk to Elder Black." At those words Jacob stepped back. His father was only 'Elder Black' when it regarded business. He left out to his car leaving the angry man and his father alone to talk. He knew he'd just be dismissed anyway.

"Samuel, do you have news?" Said man did not verbally reply, he flung the blood crusted shirt onto the coffee table in front of his Elder. The man wheeled forwards slightly. He fingered the cloth, saw the undercurrent of colour. A sadness entered his eyes. "I see. I will tell Charlie. Was it her leech who did it?"

A snort escaped the wolf shifter.

"Oh no, he'd already gone, left her to perish in the woods. Foreign nomads, and she left with them. There was enough blood and that scrap to explain it as an animal attack. Very well orchestrated." Bitterness entered his voice. If there was one thing he hated more than the regular vampire, it was those that willingly became those vile blood-sucking creatures. Once he had said his piece, Sam Uley left without dismissal, leaving Billy Black with a bloodied shirt, a great task ahead of him, and his own thoughts.

This was something Billy needed to do in person. This wasn't news he could tell over the phone. He'd have to tell his Jake as well. He only hoped the news didn't accelerate his change, Jake was too hot headed to cope with it yet, but he could see the signs, he had seen it in all the new wolves.

He called to Jake, asking him to prep the truck as he needed to visit Charlie. Jake was more than happy to, he liked the chief, having being round the man so much as a child that he was like an uncle. He noticed that his father was quieter than normal but thought nothing of it, assuming it was just Reservation business that he was rarely privy to. He helped his father into the truck before driving along the familiar roads to the police station.

Once again, when they arrived, Jake helped Billy back into his chair before allowing his father his freedom and following behind the man as he made his way up to the police desk. The lady at the desk greeted them familiarly, having worked there for a number of years so being used to the two men. She led them straight through to Charlie after knocking on the man's door and letting him know who was on the other side.

Billy couldn't bare to look up at his oldest friend as he wheeled in. And whilst Charlie wasn't overly emotional he was observant. Where he had stood to greet Billy and Jake, hand half out to shake hands, he sank heavily back into his chair. Seconds later his hand followed his body.

The dread that had followed him all day flared like a fire that had just caught gasoline. But he shouldn't give up yet. Maybe Billy had had his own bad news? But then why wasn't Bella with them?

"Billy?" Charlie cursed himself for his voice cracking, he dare not look at Jake, didn't want to see if the young boy was catching on. If he knew anything at all that was going on. Finally the wheelchair bound man looked up, a sorrow and sympathy dancing in his dark eyes, before he pulled out the shredded t-shirt.

"Sam and some of the others found this in the clearing east of your place. And blood, lot's of it." He signed heavily, "I'm sorry Charlie."

Charlie just sat numb at first. He was the police chief, he knew what these things separately meant. Missing person, shredded garments, blood in surrounding area. It all pointed to animal mauling. But his brain didn't connect it with his little girl. With his Bells. He just stared at the bloodied cloth, waiting for it to fix it self, fill itself with a body, and the smiling face of his daughter.

But it didn't the only thing that happened was a sob from across from him. Jacob had sank into a chair next to his father, the elder carding a hand through his son's hair as he grieved.

And finally, finally it hit him. Like a truck hit's a stationary car, swift and hard, sending him rolling, crushing him into a small ball that couldn't function. A sob left his lips, a sob that quickly escalated into a scream, that descended into a choked cry as he let the tiniest bit of the grief he was feeling out. He grasped at the shreds of the clothes still remaining, holding it to his face, looking for some kind of scent but finding nothing.

He couldn't understand how he had been there just yesterday, happy and excited, talking about school and Edward and her fears and hope. Then just hours later she was gone, and she wouldn't return. He wished she had run off with Edward now. At least there would have been hope then. He had no idea how he would go back to their house, a house that finally become hoe with the presence of his daughter, how he would cope with the emptiness. Her stuff still splattered around as if she would come back and tidy it up, or move it.

And he dreaded telling Renee. He could barely accept it himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**In summary: Bella is kinda dead, Edward is kind of a douche, and surprisingly... I am alive. Yes, I apologise for leaving this so long.**

The change was intense. Of course Edward had explained the fiery burn to her, she had even gotten a taste of it when she was attacked by James, his venom burning through her, racing from her heart, trying desperately to reach her heart and make her one of them. But that had been nothing compared to this, this never ending torment, it lasted for hours, for days, maybe even months that bled into years. It was incomparable to anything she had experienced before. It was desperate and ravaging, melting her alive.

And still she did not regret this choice, this choice to not die, to be reborn, stronger and immortal, she would have forever. She was thankful to Charlotte and Peter, for finding her and bringing her to new life, and deep down for saving the Cullen's from the punishment of her knowledge. Despite how they had hurt her with their callousness she didn't want to see them hurt or dead because of her, she could not just turn the love for them off just because they did not return it. Love would be a lot simpler if it only existed where it was returned.

Well maybe at the point of this fire she did, this raging inferno that allowed little space for thought around the never ending pain. She wasn't sure if she was successfully changing, or if she had been sent to the eternal flames of Hell, a punishment for every crime she had committed in her life. She didn't think there had been that many crimes, she thought she had been good. But the flames, that must be born of Hell, said otherwise.

But finally, after an indescribable amount of time there was a slight recede in the agony. Just at the tips of her limbs, a miniscule change in the grand scheme of the inferno, her fingers becoming ice in comparison to the heat that enveloped the rest of her body.

And slowly but surely, it started to recede elsewhere, slipping in to her core, ice being left in it's wake, her heart increasing in intensity, the speedy beats and fiery heat burned through her, pulsed through her head. A scream fought to be released, a weakness she didn't allow, and just when she thought she could take no more, there was a stuttered beat, and then the fire strangled her heart and died out.

There was a pleasant quietness left in it's wake, and yet it wasn't silence, it was the buzz of sound that she should not be able to hear overwhelming her senses. The buzz of electricity in the old house, the creak of a chair as Peter rose from it. A fact she could only tell by the increase in her nose's ability. Peter to her left, Charlotte's scent over the top heavily, and then to her right was Charlotte, and like her mate Peter's scent clung heavily over the top.

Were they threats? And though the logical part of her was saying no, saying they were friends, her vampire brain was screaming at her that they were. Not at first, but the second she opened her eyes she was met by their familiar faces… and the not so familiar scars that littered porcelain bodies. So many, they were a threat, they were _dangerous._ A growl pushed past her lips, deep and agitated as she got up quicker than she thought possible and dropped into a crouch. They were both in her eyesight.

She was surprised when they both ducked their heads and bore their necks to her. She could see more scars on the back of their necks, deep and angry that would never fade. There was so many she wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed them just the other day when she had been in the forest with them. And then Peter spoke to her, voice steady and placating.

"It's okay Little Lady. It's just me and Char."

Bella recognised the voice, a fleeting memory of a past that she had tried to cling on to. Only a small part of it, but an important part nonetheless. She thought desperately against the instincts in her that told her to attack. Her heart was telling her it would be a bad idea, that these people meant _something_ to her. Also, her head was saying it would be a very stupid move. The fact she could see all the scars, and yet they were standing right before her, told her she was hopelessly outclassed.

Still, her instincts screamed within her. And whilst she managed to fight a full on attack, she let out a growl that rumbled through her chest with a ferocity she was incapable of in humanity. She pushed up even further into the bed, and wall, behind her back, trying to escape the threat. It was the only option left that appeased her warring emotions. If she could not fight, then she needed to escape.

She was so sure, that with her enhanced stress she'd be able to break through the wall, but alas it was strong, enforced by these vampires with something that was impervious to their species. Alas, the bed was not quite as lucky, the wooden frame practically crumbling under the pressure. This time the growl that escaped was out of frustration.

"Come on Little Lady, we need to calm ya down so we can go get some munchies." Peter was starting to get impatient now. It had been a good half a century since he'd done the newborn thing, and whilst he remembered all the right things to do, he had forgotten how pig-headed and temperamental they could be, especially in the first few hours when they'd just woken up, when everything was new and terrifying, and the burn of hunger roasted them alive and yet they didn't know what it was.

As such, he was endlessly relieved when, at his question, Bella's head tipped to the side, some of the animosity in her posture was replaced with curiosity. And then a little more, as what 'munchies' meant entered her mind. The low rumble from her throat, which he was almost positive she was unaware of, was replaced by a high keening as she grasped at her throat. He figured she'd put the two together because of her past knowledge of vampirism. Most did not associate food with the burn in their throat until the second or third feeding.

"That's it Little Lady, you've got it. You wantin' some criminals or Bambi for lunch?" He knew that the Cullen influence was likely to have influenced, and he wouldn't force his diet on the little lady if she'd already made her mind up.

However, he could not deny the little relief that went through him when her keening stopped slightly, the little head tip of curiosity came into play, and then a whispered 'criminal' told him that she was going to be following the traditional diet. He let a small grin cross over his face. Whilst he loved Jasper, he wasn't so fond of the rest of the bunny-munchers so this felt like a small victory.

"That's just fine, Little Lady. You're a little young to take you into town yet. So I'm gonna make my leave now, and Char's gonna stay with you. She's gonna keep talking to you. Is that okay?" It was always best to check with the newborn if they were comfortable with the actions. It stopped them from going off the wall and trying to attack. Whilst he wasn't ashamed of his scars, he sure as hell wanted to avoid anymore.

When he got his agreement from Bella, he turned around, baring his back in a show of trust. He knew Char was there if Bella decided to take it as an opening anymore. But everything was fine and he managed to make his leave, and head to town, with no mishap. He just hoped he didn't come back to a trashed house.

Charlotte grinned to herself as she watched the astonishment cross over Bella's face at the obvious trust that Peter was granting her. By this point she had fell silent, her mind distracted by everything. Her hunger on her backburner, her anger forgotten. With time and the nickname repeated over and over she had remembered just who Peter and Charlotte were and why she was there. She was now sitting cross legged on the bed, looking at where Peter left with stunned wonder on her face. Charlotte wished she had a photo for this moment, so she could show Bella just how amusing her face was.

"Hey Isa, mind if I join ya?" The young vampire's head shot up, her attention riveted on Charlotte. Before a small smile lifted her lips and she nodded towards the bottom of the bed. Charlotte took the invitation with a returning grin, lounging lazily across the end of the bed.

"I'd have helped you with a shower, but you're about to get a little messy." She had helped a number of female newborns with their first few washes. It was just easier than replacing the taps and shower heads depending on the available facilities. Some minded more than others but Bella merely shrugged.

"That's okay, I don't mind," Then with a hint of vulnerability, "How do I know where to bite?"

Charlotte honestly tried not to laugh. She didn't want to upset Bella. But the question was so innocent despite it's topic, and she looked so unsure, that she just couldn't help it. A little chuckle escaped her lips.

"Don't worry so Isa. It's instinct and trial and error. It won't matter for a couple of weeks. The first feed you'll be so overcome with the need to feed, that the etiquette of the moment won't event cross your mind."

Losing her sense of self was an idea that scared Bella. She had started to feel that with Edward. As if she had become so embroiled in him and his life that she was no longer her, but rather an extension of him. At times she had become too afraid to question him, or she had been manipulated with promises of safety and care, so his wants became hers.

She also knew this wouldn't be the same. In a sense this would be the exact opposite. With Edward she was fighting her instincts, her only reprieve her power to protect her mind, and yet in this case she would be giving into primal instincts. The scary part was that they were new, and whilst they were part of her they didn't feel like her. But there was nothing she could do about. Well apart from worry, and then probably feel foolish over it, like she had with how she had reacted after she had awoken.

Instead she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, talking to Charlotte, getting to know the girl who had changed her, and was due to play a part in her life. She learnt all about Peter, and how they had met and how the Major had let them free, and then how they had come back for him. She also asked questions about the vampire lifestyle. About skills and benefits. And also the downsides. She wanted the most rounded view she could.

And yet, just as she was starting to relax... she caught the scent. It was feeding time.


	5. Chapter 5

There was many an adjective that could be used to describe the current state of the Cullen Clan. But maybe the most apt would be 'disarray'. Everything was back to front, upside down, topsy turvy. Or maybe just describing them as a mess would get the idea across just nicely.

Because they were, you know. A mess that is. Let's start with Jasper. He was the catalyst and damn if he didn't feel it. It would have been impossible not to. Carlisle sending out a wave of disappointment, before abruptly reining it in. The damage had already being done. Emmett and Esme falling into sporadic bouts of sorrow. So lost in it that they did not even contemplate reigning it in. They pushed it at him, relentlessly until it screamed like an inferno inside him. Even Rose was prone to bitterness. Not a direct consequence of Bella herself, but more her own husbands sorrow at the action. Each emotion built up brick by brick until there was a world upon his shoulders.

It was made worse by his own confusion. It had not been a normal attack in his own head. He had felt the Major, yes. He had felt the other's bloodlust, varying degrees of strength but identifiable nonetheless. But his own emotions had being less identifiable. There had been a roaring anger, a fierce protectiveness. An illogical protectiveness. Was he going for Bella? It had seen so obvious back then. Bella was bleeding, he felt his own bloodlust and the other's as well. It was a foregone conclusion. Even if he had brought up his feelings to the others he was sure he would be dismissed. What reason would he have to protect the human? Especially when he had been so intent on killing her initially and had barely bonded with her since.

Maybe it would have been okay, if he'd had support on the home front. If he'd had someone to talk through his emotions, someone who was fully on his side, someone who to hold him when the guilt and confusion warred like Maria verses her enemies back in the Southern Wars. His wife, his Alice, had been drifting slowly away for years, he had known it but she'd always been present. She had not always been the best wife but she had always been his best friend. She had supported him when the rest of the family had been a whisker away from kicking him out. She wasn't now though. He felt her absence like a chasm over a river. He was one side and she was the other and no matter how far he reached he would never reach her. He felt like he was going to collapse from the weight of it. The weight of the emotions and his own impending loss.

Esme could sympathise. Though she wasn't doing a very good job of it at the moment. She was lost in herself. She remembered early on, Rose's warning to the family that befriending Bella would only end in misery. Of course this wasn't what Rose had foreshadowed but the misery had come nonetheless. Bella had left them, seen their true nature and ran for the hills, wanting to cut all contact. She couldn't blame Bella, she didn't even blame Jasper. But it hurt. She'd accepted Bella in her heart, not even as Edward's mate but a child in her own right. She had been like a final piece of a puzzle that the family had not even realised they'd been missing. Now with her piece gone, the rest of the puzzle couldn't support itself. It started to fall apart from the inside out.

Likewise, Emmett could sympathise. Bella had been his little sister in everything but blood. She held a place in his heart even more than Alice even despite only knowing her for a few short months. Sometimes he'd feel like he was moving on, the pain would subside just slightly, Rosie would distract him (Rosie was very good at distracting him). But then he'd think of something funny, something he'd usually say to Bella and he'd feel it all over again. It sucked.

The Cullen was as divided as when they first came together. More so even. At least back then there was the excuse of not knowing each other very well. Of being strangers, they had yet to learn quirks and preferences and to appreciate each others humour. But this time the separation was emotional. Being with each other reminded them of what they'd lost. It was like ripping a scab of an unhealed wound. Not only did it sting but it bled anew. Jasper secluded himself in his study. Drowning in books that held his attention but not any enjoyment. Something to focus on other than the emotions that beat at his conscience. Esme spent more time with Carlisle. Just sitting on his couch in his office. She felt protected with Carlisle and the sound proofed walls gave her a deeper sense of ignorance. If she couldn't hear the world then surely the world did not exist. Whilst Carlisle worried, he indulged her. He was glad to be in a bigger town where work was a liable excuse. It felt like living in a graveyard. Rosalie and Emmett were like limpets. They stayed close, always looking for that physical affirmation of the others presence. None of them knew how long they could continue like this before they just disintegrated on each other.

So now you know the thoughts and feelings of the majority of our esteemed clan but surely you've noticed the lack of mention of a certain duo. I wanted to save them until last. Edward was Bella's boyfriend, Alice her best friend. Surely they deserve a special mention, no?

In current Cullen terms it was a normal day. Carlisle hiding at work, Esme in his office. Rose and Emmett watching a movie together (Though watching was a loose term for all the attention they were paying the screen). Alice and Edward were missing in action. Their whereabouts unknown to the rest of the family as they were so often now.

But Jasper, he was an anomaly today. It had been a good week since he had last fed and whilst there was a lack of tempting humans the hunger burned in the back of his throat. It had been creeping up on him, first a warming heat, then a tickling irritation but by this time it was nigh on an inferno burning his throat, it's only blessing being that it shut off all knowledge of other emotions. It was only logical then, that he went out to the forest to satiate the hunger.

Until he stepped outside he didn't realise how much he had missed the sunshine, bright and warm despite not actually warming him. He had missed the breeze whistling past his ears, the pressure of it as science dictated that he should slow down, the tickle of stray branches reaching out to his marble skin, the freedom, as he ran at inhuman speed.

And then there was the hunt. Spying the target, hearing it's heartbeat thud, thud, thud. A rhythm so gentle, so lulling that you almost want to sleep rather than chase. But then as you get closer it's scent hits you. Rich and dark, though not the best, a dollar store chocolate in comparison to premium Belgian chocolate. Still tasty but paling in comparison to the true prize. Even closer still and it's instincts set in, ears dart up, eyes dilate, that lulling heartbeat almost becoming a stutter in its haste thudthudthudthud.

It leaps graceful from its spot. Legs pushing it further and further away. But never far enough. It is prey, Jasper is predator. His fangs sink deep into its hide, sucking for all he's worth. And then it's empty. Time for take two.

And there was a take two, as well as a take three, four and five. He drank until he felt passed satiated, until he felt sloshy inside, almost nauseous.

With nothing left to do, he started to make his way back. That was when he heard Edward's voice. Quiet, so clearly a fair distance away, but discernible nonetheless.

"Can we leave yet, love?"

At those words, Jaspers first instinct was that maybe the whole Bella thing was a hoax. Who else would Edward be calling love? Had she been this close this long. He almost wanted to rush in there, scream at her for destroying his family, for causing them heartache. But he listened instead. His curiosity getting the better of him.

"Soon. She's disappeared from my visions so she must be dead. Jasper is just as ignorant as before. The family is practically falling apart. We'll just be the first to go."

The second voice was like a sucker punch to Jasper's gut. All he'd heard mixed in his head as he tried to make sense of it. Alice and Edward were having an affair? They wanted Bella dead? And just what was Jasper ignorant about, because his gut told him that it wasn't just the affair they were referencing, as much as he had being ignorant about that.

*Hi guys, apologies for the long delay. It was exam season but I finished my last one yesterday so I'll be a little more active on here. Hope y'all still enjoy this.


	6. Chapter 6

Bella could smell the human from at least a mile away. Just a faint murmur at first, a nice scent in the air, but second by second it got closer, closer and closer and stronger. It became almost unbearable, like the scent of bacon when you've yet to eat breakfast.

She wanted it so bad that she almost jumped from the window in order to meet her meal half way. Her throat burned with ten thousand fires, her nose filled with the scent. Only her own pure will kept her where she was, she sat so still and so straight that it would be immediately obvious she was something a little more than human. It was probably illogical, because she knew that Peter and Charlotte expected it of newborns, but she felt she needed to wait, to prove she was worth the effort after they had rescued her from that forest despite not even knowing who she really was. She also wanted to check that the person she was feeding from was actually a criminal. Whilst she didn't like the idea of feeding on animals, for that was as bad as feeding on innocent humans, she didn't want to take the chance that the human was actually innocent.

She knew the exact moment that Peter entered the house with the human. The previous scent intensified by about ten times. What was a fire became an inferno, a raging blaze as his scent wrapped around her, filled every corner of the house with it's alluring presence. She needed to be closer to it. She needed it within her, filling her starving body with it's taste.

Before she was even considering it she was up on her feet, rushing quicker than she'd ever moved before towards the door. Only pausing when she pulled the weak wood of it's hinges as she flung it open. She looked confused at the door in her hand, both because it was no longer on it's hinges and because she was able to carry it with such ease. It was like a dead weight in her arms despite her knowing that it actually had a substantial weight, one that she definitely wouldn't have been able to manage as a human.

With a sigh she turned back to Charlotte, her mind temporarily waylaid from the temptation downstairs.

"Do you have a spare door?" Charlotte, who had being giggling softly since the door first came off it's hinges, broke into full belly laughs. The kind that can only be brought on by a close friend doing something stupid, the kind that would end in tears if they had been human. Bella glared at her but didn't say anything further, letting the older vampire's giggles subside on their own.

"Don't worry Isa, we got a few spares whilst you were changing. I got through 12 in my first two weeks." Okay, so it was a newborn thing, not a Bella thing, that was definitely a comfort. Still though she was holding a spare door.

"What should I do with it?" Again Charlotte let out some resemblance of a laugh due to the innocence with which the question was asked with.

"You give it here Darlin'. You go downstairs and go feed. You've done fabulously to hold on this far. This is the kind of restraint we usually see in newborns who are at least half a year old." Bella pushed the door out towards Charlotte with murmured thanks.

She had managed to temporarily shut out the beautiful scent from downstairs, the way one shuts out the scent of food they know they can't have. The temptation is definitely still there but you promise to focus on anything but the scent in hopes that it won't effect you so much. And like usual, it worked for a short amount of time, whilst there was something else to distract her. And like always, as soon as the distraction was removed the temptation returned, ten times worse than before. Any restraint she had was removed and she rushed downstairs (without destroying the house further).

When she was there she was met with the sight of Peter lounging around on the sofa, his feet propped up on the coffee table as he had his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a relatively short male with wavy brown hair, American white teeth and blue eyes glittering with his fear. Because the arm around his shoulder was decidedly not friendly, it was oppressive, a warning of impending doom. Peter smirked up at Bella from his position.

"Hey, Little Lady, I brought you lunch and you destroy my home. Tut, tut, tut." Bella was listening to Peter, she was even a little amused because she could hear the joking in his tone, but none of the rest of her attention was on him. Her eyes were fixed on the man's neck, she could see his neck throbbing, faster than usual in his terrified state, as blood flowed from his racing heart to his frazzled brain. Trying to desperately oxygenate the organ so he could make sense of his predicament.

No amount of oxygen to his brain could lesson this complete petrification, nor could it make sense of this situation. He had been out in the streets, the man holding him had accosted him, looked him in the eye before flinging him over his shoulder as if he weighed little more than a feather. He started to scream, both as a fear response and in hopes of attracting attention. Yet before the air had even had chance to pass his lips there was a hand over his mouth. A hand of pure unyielding marble. The creature, because the man could not be human, had then proceeded to run at breakneck speed under tree cover to this home. It had been surreal just sitting with this man, confused when he'd laughed.

Even more surreal than the man was the woman that had come down the stairs. She was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen, her hair seemed to dance around her shoulders, she was the personification of grace, there wasn't a single blemish on her whole face. It was mesmerising and terrifying in it's own right. Or maybe that was just the blood red eyes that stared fixedly at his face… or was it his neck?

"What has he done? I know it's silly but I need to know he'd worthy?" The woman had a voice like charms, it danced in the air and rustled through his hair. He could not think of what he had done. He had done many a bad thing, but very little good. He didn't want to know what would happen if he was to be found unworthy.

"Oh don't worry sweetheart, there's many a thing that's earned him his presence here, but most prominently is the fact that he suffocated his little sister because the child was crying whilst he was trying to have a phone call." A small growl escaped from Bella, with a smirk Peter rose with the human, pushing his shaking form towards Bella.

She caught him in a grip so strong that her fingers pushed through the thin barrier of skin on his arms, finding purchase on his sinewy muscles. Blood dripped onto the floor where Bella removed her fingers, licking at them, getting her first taste of the ambrosia that was human blood.

With that first taste she was lost, her left arm reached up, pushed the man to his knees, tugging his head so harshly to the side, by the hair, that his neck broke, the bone pushing through the nerves to the side and out through the skin, blood pumped out the wound from his torn jugular, coating the floor, the man, Bella in the substance. The flow only stopped when Bella's head came down over the wound, her mouth acting as a plug as she sucked desperately on the man below her, his blood rushed into her mouth, pushed by his still beating confused heart, pulled by the suction from her lips. She pulled until nothing came. With a disgruntles but satiated sigh she released her lips with a slight pop. Blood dribbled down her chin, which she swiftly wiped away as she surveyed the damage she had caused. It was definitely substantial, he barely looked human. But then again he had barely being human.

"I got a little blood on the carpet." The comment was quiet but by no means inaudible to her fellow vampire. Peter barked out a laugh in response. 'A little blood' was definitely an understatement.

"Nearly as much as you got on yourself, Little Lady. It's fine I know how to get blood out my carpets. You go up to Char and get yourself cleaned up. We can work on control later." Whilst Bella was accepting of her new life she was still in slight shock by the brutality she had experienced, the brutality she had taken part in, as such it was easier to follow instructions.

Char met her upstairs with a warm smile.

"You did good sweet cheeks. You resisted for so long, the control of the feed we can work on. I've started the bath running, you get undressed, those clothes will have to be chucked anyway." They were so saturated with blood that some of it had passed through and stained Bella's skin, creating a blotchy patter across her body. Though she didn't realise it, that was another sign of her control. The fact that she did not lick at her own skin, suck at her clothes, the fact that she had enough of her mind to obviously be in shock.

Bella did not know how to describe the feeling of having a bath in her new form. She knew the water was hot, by the steam coming off it she would even guess at boiling, but her body did not complain, her skin did not redden nor blister. She was warmed only on a surface level, as if there was a barrier between the water and her, stopping her from truly feeling it. She sighed at Charlotte's hands running through her hair, pushing blood out and lathering shampoo in her wake. It was a sensation that should have sent her to sleep.

Yet another weird thing, her eyes did not grow heavy or weary, instead she watched mesmerised as the clear bathwater turned a murky red. And all too soon it would all be washed down the drain.

 **Oh look, you don't always have to wait ages between chapters ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

Jasper returned home a lot quicker than he left it. He wasn't sure what to make of all that he'd heard, nor what to do about it. Whatever he did next, he would have to leave. It was just considering the best way to go about it.

He would have to have a group meeting, tell half the truth and use that as an excuse for leaving before going out in search of the truth.

He couldn't decide if he was glad or not when he saw that Carlisle's car was already in. It would mean he would be able to leave almost immediately, but it also meant he would have to find the right words sooner. At a time when he wasn't even sure he had the wrong words it became a scary prospect.

Like usual, when he got back in Rose and Emmett were curled up on the couch, staring absently at the TV turned on to a high action, high violence thriller. Still, when Jasper came in they both looked up at him, offering him a small but still present smile.

"I'm going to go fetch Carlisle and Esme, will you meet us at the meeting table." A confused look passed over the couple's face but nonetheless they turned off the TV as Jasper left them to go upstairs.

He stood outside Carlisle's door for a minute, contemplating. He needed to do this but he didn't want to upset Esme even further. It would as well. To know that Jasper was leaving, the fact her family was even more broken than she already believed. He steeled his courage, let out a sigh then knocked once sharply on the mahogany door. There was a momentary pause, then Carlisle was standing there, his usual kind smile fixed on his face.

"Come in Jasper, what can I do for you?" Despite Carlisle moving in to let Jasper in as well Jasper remained where he was.

"If you've got five minutes, can we have a meeting, downstairs." Again he received a look of troubled confusion but both Carlisle and Esme followed him out. It almost brought a smile to his face when he saw that even despite how broken they were, they all still went to their designated spots. Carlisle sat at the head, Esme to his left, then down from her sat Emmett and Rosalie. And then there was him, opposite Rosalie, leaving a space for Alice and Edward on Carlisle's right.

That was what killed the smile. Their absence acted as a reminder as to just why exactly he called the meeting. He sucked in a breath, about to start with the words he didn't realise would be so difficult to speak. Before he could though Carlisle intercepted him.

"Are Alice and Edward joining us soon?" At the question, Jasper dreaded to think about what kind of expression was on his face. He doubted it could be pleasant. But he merely shook his head and went to carry on with his initial intention as if there'd never being an interruption.

"No, they won't be joining us," He paused, took in the confusion that he could both feel and see reflected on their faces, "On my way back from my hunt, I found Alice and Edward _together,"_ The way that he said it left no confusion as to what exactly he meant by that, the gasp that left Esme definitely gave away she understand at any rate, "As such, I'm going to visit Peter and Charlotte for a while. I'll be back eventually, I just need this time away. I couldn't just leave not after..." He trailed off, but they all heard the unspoken 'Bella'.

They just sat and stared at him at first. Letting the information settle in. Then the emotions settle over the top. The most prominent emotion was still confusion but there was understanding, compassion and sympathy also mixed in. Esme rushed at him, hugging him in a way that only a motherly person could, full of hope that gave you strength on your way.

"Just remember you said you'd come back, Jasper? We love you, and if you ever need us you can call us." Jasper was glad he was now a vampire with the inability to cry, if only to maintain his masculinity.

Carlisle was next, his hug just as strong if not as warming, "Give our regards to Peter and Charlotte." There was Carlisle. Ever the polite gentleman.

Emmett had none of the physical warmth of Carlisle or Esme but his brotherly pat-on-the-back-hug portrayed all the same emotion. "Gonna miss you Jazz-man. You remind Peter he still owes me a wrestling match." Both let out a laugh at that memory.

Then finally there was just Rosalie, over the decades Rosalie had become the twin sister that they pretended to be. She was always his closest confidant and he knew he'd miss her the most. He hugged her back just as tight as she hugged him. And he wasn't even surprised when she whispered in his ear, "I know this isn't the whole story, but I promise you that you will tell me everything when you go back." And then she let him go with a final kiss to his cheek.

The whole ordeal made him want to say _fuck it_ and put up with the knowledge of Alice's and Edward's cheating. But like Rose had said there was more that just cheating, and it was that more than the cheating that was the reason for his leaving.

He left the living room to the room that he shared with Alice, a room that was decidedly more Alice's than it had ever been his. He went to the one half of the wardrobe that contained his clothes and packed a couple of jeans, a couple t-shirts and some underwear into a bag. He dug through to make sure that there was nothing in particular that he wanted, nearly wrote everything off before he stumbled across his Stetson. It was his most prized possession but Alice hadn't allowed it on show. But it was here still, he'd refused to let it be chucked away his human mama had given it to him for his 16th birthday and it had survived all these years, through the southern wars.

Finding it built up a bitterness inside him, he pulled the jumper off and smart trousers he was wearing, in fact he practically tore them off before pulling on a pair of genes and a plaid shirt. He could almost imagine the smell of sun heated sand as he put them on, feeling more at home than he had in a very long time. He was ready to leave.

He made his way to the door, he almost left without thinking, but then right there by the door was the box to Alice's favourite louboutins. He smiled bitterly at them, pulling them out the box, cleanly snapping the heel off each and tearing through the suede. Then he packed them back in the box and grabbed a pen, writing 'Love, Jasper' on the box lid. _Now_ he was ready to leave.

He sent out a shout of goodbye as he passed through the house. The door seemed to shut with such an ominous bang that he looked back expecting there to be something there. There wasn't of course, just memories. With a sigh he went to the garage, pulling his bike out of the garage. While he was more than able to get around without him, it would look suspicious his ability to get around with no obvious transportation. Plus, although it wasn't as quick as running it was a very different, but just as exhilarating feeling to ride astride a bike.

He took the quickest root he could find to Washington. He genuinely wanted to visit Peter and Charlotte, and plus his curiosity was more than getting to him. Still, it couldn't prepare him for the barrage of memories that remained here. He might not have been as emotionally invested as some of his other family members but it still wasn't pleasant to be around here. He refused to go back to the house, he was more than physically strong enough to live in the forest. It would be easier to evade the wolves this way. He wasn't sure the treaty would still apply being as Carlisle wasn't here as well.

He went to the supermarket first. He needed food if he was going to be making an appearance in town especially as he was on his own. He wished Esme was with him. He felt so strange grabbing one of the small metal baskets to put food in that there was no way he was going to eat.

He was on the second aisle when he saw Angela Weber. He remembered her being friends with Bella, she'd being one of the less annoying humans at any rate. She noticed him just a second later, and where there had been a smile was now a look so full of anger of hatred. It was a look that Jasper hadn't believed the amiable girl to be capable of, but damn if it wasn't just her face that showed it. She was pushing waves of hatred at him, and there buried underneath it was a wave of sorrow. She strode over to him.

"You dare to show your face around here again? It was a little convenient that Bella was found dead the day after your _family_ had left. I don't know what your family of weirdos did to her but I swear if I even smell you around here again I will bring this whole town on you." She was bitter and angry and her words left Jasper reeling. And just to top it off the incensed girl spat in Jasper's face. He merely nodded without a word. There was nothing he could say, she would not believe his plea of innocence. He turned on his heel, heading back towards the store entrance, dumping his basket in the pile. Despite being a good distance away he could still feel the anger radiating to him from Angela in the store.

He had all the answer he needed to know now anyway. Alice was right, Bella was dead. He would make his way to Texas in the morning.


	8. UPDATE!

I'm so, so sorry guys that I've left you for so long. So basically my computer is a detachable one where the keyboard comes off for like presentations and things, except at the minute the computer isnt recognising the keyboard, or only intermittently, as such I've been unable to really write until I get a new computer, which being as I'm a poor little sheep might be a while. Rest assured though, that the story ins't abandoned, merely on halt.

~Juxtaposed Soul


	9. Chapter 8

The aftermath of her first kill had been a weird experience to Bella. It had been a whole week now and still she would not say she had perfectly adjusted. It was as if everything was in a juxtaposition. The new clashed with the old in her mind to create a mess of emotions and feelings. The weirdest for her was her memory compared to her actual perception. Her memories were like an old TV, the image was bad, often breaking up in places and yet perfect nonetheless, none of the information was lacking, it was just portrayed in a weak format. In contrast, her perception of the world was in perfect high quality, her eyes were the highest resolution cameras, taking in everything, even the most minute aspects and storing them in the 'new' memory bank. She could pull on both memory banks, could pull out a VHS from the old life or experience what had already occurred in pristine Blu-Ray.

Her movements were much the same, every recollection of her movements seemed painfully sluggish in comparison to her old self. Vampirism had not curved the clumsiness though, just the speed, strength and agility with which she could move. Instead of her getting broken the world around her got broken as a result of her lack of coordination. The worst had been the first few days when the speed had been new, when she had still gone to move as if she was still human. She had not moved as if she was still human, she had rocketed from one position to the next and as her brain caught up and told her to stop she was unfortunately crashing into a wall, or a cabinet, a tree anything other than empty space which would have been convenient.

On the third day of her reawakened life Peter had brought her a feed again. To Peter it had been strange that the request had not come sooner. Newborns were usually insatiable, feeding at least everyday, maybe once every twelve hours if they caught the slightest hint of blood. But Bella had shown no discomfort come the end of the first day, merely frustration at her ability to master simple tasks. Peter had noticed some signs of strain come the end of the second day, she had taken to rubbing at her neck every now and again, was a little more agitated. But even Peter could not have predicted as to whether that was due to the uncharacteristic lack of blood or that she seemed to feel she was making little progress with adapting to vampirism. Still though Peter left her, wanted to test her, test her limits. The longer she could last without blood the sooner he would be able to take her out on her own solo hunt, teach her the ropes himself.

Finally, the third day rolled around. And Bella finally cracked, she was rubbing her neck nearly constantly at this point, she had an inability to focus on even the most menial of tasks let alone the more delicate tasks she was trying to accomplish. It was around half way through the day that she finally relented, looking to Peter with a shred of desperation dancing in her ruby eyes.

"Please, Peter, I need to feed." He merely smirked at her. He'd spent enough time with her to know that she probably thought she was doing badly, that to ask for help, to feed would be seen as weakness.

"Of course Little Lady, you've done well to last this long. I didn't even see signs of irritation until the second day." She beamed at the praise, finally relaxing at the knowledge she was doing something right in all this madness of the new life.

The second feeding was no less messy than the first had been, a mass of blood pooling into the carpet, her hands a little too rough, tearing where it shouldn't tear, teeth two eager causing blood to squirt haphazardly rather than pushing into waiting lips. And again, as the first time Charlotte was there in the aftermath, a change of clothes and a gentle hand to manage the taps.

Like the first time, Bella felt no guilt, what was the point when she knew the crimes of her meals. She would feed with more respect with time, and before then there were truly evil people who deserved whatever became them. Guilt was for other, guilt was for people like the Cullen's who wasted so much time on other humans lives and had no time for their emotions.

The pattern repeated again through to the sixth day. On the first two she worked diligently on controlling all this power that was no wired into her granite muscles. Her progress increased, though accidents still occurred. Less things broke, and the crease of frustration started to unfold from Bella's brow. Of course, there were still much to learn and she was allowed no where near the China. Again she started to show signs of her hunger come the second day after her last feeding but once again she ignored it and soldiered on, determined not to be a slave to her baser instincts.

And come the sixth day she was introduced to her third feast. This time a man who beat his wife to death for chatting with male coworkers. He had already destroyed everything meaningful in his life, Bella was merely saving him the disgrace and misery that he was sure to experience when his atrocious actions finally dawned on him.

"Right Little Lady, this is your third meal, let's see if you can apply some of that restraint you've learned." Peter was always looking for ways to push her into the correct ways of this life, and without it being the Southern Wars he could use a gentler hand and a more covert approach. He could focus less on the fighting and more of the beauty and nuances of being a vampire. He could hone her skills rather than just training her to be canon fodder. He could give her the introduction that he had not being granted. She reminded him of simpler times, of being human in a way despite being so different. Despite only knowing her for barely a week he saw her as a little sister and from the stolen conversation with Charlotte she saw their new friend much the same way. They had made promises to each other that even when the girl had outgrown her newborn stage they would not just leave her like the Cullen's had.

Bella rose perfectly to the challenge. Instead of diving straight in like she had with the previous meals, she approached him at a sedate speed, she breathed in the air as his pulse increased. The scent of blood was heavy in the air, pushing quicker and quicker through the man's veins by his racing heart. Bella was sure that had she been human hers would have been too, the excitement of being the predator causing her heart to throb. But she wasn't so her eyes merely dilated in response, her body readying for the hunt, though there wasn't much of a hunt to occur. Her eyes flashed to Charlotte then to Peter, looking for some kind of confirmation she was doing okay. A nod egged her on.

She cupped the man's cheek. Monster looked into the eyes of monster. Still cupping his neck Bella leant down. Without context it may have looked like a loving embrace, a foreplay to something more. Bella let her fangs merely rest over the man's throbbing pulse point, her throat burning, screaming at her from within, desperate for some sustenance. She ignored it, smirking into the man's neck. The man shivered in fear at this action, pushing his neck closer momentarily to the teeth that he was so deathly afraid of.

"Now, now Little Lady don't play." Though the words spoke of reprimand the tone of voice was pure pride with a hint of amusement. Nonetheless Bella listened to Peter, finally letting go o her restraint, closing her teeth around the jugular. The restraint worked in her favour, the blood flooded from the four neat little holes to fill her mouth where she could gulp it back. This time there was no explosion, no blood coating carpets and walls. It was the most filling meal she had had do far, the flood long and constant for a few minutes, then as the blood drained it started to come in sharper bursts as his failing heart struggled to pump the remaining liquid through his system. He had long since fallen unconscious. And then finally he was finished with, drained completely of blood, no life left merely skin and bone and useless organs. The only sign of what had occurred was a drip of blood trailing down Bella's lip. With a flick of her tongue even that was gone.

"You did so well Bella," Charlotte's praise was full of pride as she stayed with Bella as Peter took the body to dispose of, "I think Peter will take you out to Seattle soon. Only the outskirts though. It's one thing to resist one human and another to resist a small group of them."

Bella almost wanted to sigh. With every obstacle she manged to defeat there was another to face. There was always another battle to fight.

"How long did it take you? To gain control? To hunt safely in the city?" She wanted to know how long this would take, put some kind of time frame on it.

"A lot longer than it will take you, Little Lady. I was brought up very differently. I wasn't expected to survive my newborn year. I was canon fodder. As long as I could fight I could feed to my heart's content. We ravaged towns and cities. Tore through the citizens with no care to their backgrounds or morality. But you're getting taught control. And even outside the newborns we've seen brought up outside the Southern Wars you have exceptional control." Charlotte hadn't missed the fear in Bella's eyes and what she had spoken to calm them fears had being nothing but the truth. She offered a hug to the newborn who gladly accepted it.

Charlotte was quite a bit smaller than Bella but still she rested her head on the girl's shoulder, accepting the offered comfort. Today had been a good day and she shouldn't let a tiny comment push her back. She could only continue to work on her control, both with handling thing and resisting the scent of blood. It'd be difficult but she knew it'd be worth it so she could integrate back into society rather than being cooped up in the house all the time.

As the next day rolled around Peter looked entirely too smug with himself. Despite how short a time they had been together, Bella knew that face meant that he had something planned. Something probably to help her control this new body. After the smirk he rose, reaching out first to his wife with a kiss to her lips, then to Bella with a kiss to her forehead.

"Whilst this isn't the Southern Wars no more, you need to learn how to protect yourself. If we ever run into trouble a team of three is gonna be better than a team of two." With that he pulled both girls into the expansive yard outside.

Bella was excited for this training at least. She knew she was both faster and stronger at the minute than her counterparts and she was sure it would give her the edge in a fight, and with their training she could hone them skills and be a real asset to her new family. Because they were, despite only knowing them a week, Peter and Charlotte were family.

"Right Little Lady, you're gonna fight Char for today and I'm gonna be on instructions." With that Charlotte got herself into a ready position and Bella got into what she believed to be a ready position too. It was nowhere near the right position which she soon learned from the guidance of Peter. And if that early guidance wasn't a sign for how the whole teaching would go, well then nothing was.

What edge she may have had from her excess speed and strength was completely eradicated by Charlotte's sheer skill and prior experience. When Bella thought about it, it made sense, Charlotte had been fighting for nigh on a century against newborn who would all have more strength and speed than the waif like vampire. Knowing that didn't make every defeat any easier. It seemed like every minute she was back on the floor, Charlotte's arm pinning her head to the dusty floor.

And every time she went down Peter would stand there, a smirk on his face, "Up," was all he'd say and it'd begin again. Well with a critique as well. Critique that were becoming increasingly annoying to Bella's fraying newborn nerves.

Finally, her control snapped just slightly, she surged forwards, pushing all her strength at Char, catching the more experienced woman by surprise. With a short growl she caught the woman's arm, twisting it behind her back with a crack.

A crack signifying she had ripped the limb straight from the woman's body. The growl died immediately, Bella dropping the limb into the sand in pure shock. She stepped back, eyes wide as apologies fell from her lips.

Peter sighed, somewhat amused but worried for Bella nonetheless. He knew Charlotte would be fine, he realised Bella might not be so sure. He went to Bella, letting Charlotte reattach her own arm, she sent him a smirk as she took her limb back, dusting the sand off, she knew Peter would look after it properly later, reattach it securely with his venom and a feed.

The couple's jovial attitudes died quickly though, Peter moving in front of the two woman facing northwards away from the house. They had company, company they'd only noticed when it called out to them.

"That's quite a feisty newborn you've got there, Captain."

 **Finally, I'm back to the writing board. Uni is fab, but also part of the reason why it's taken me so long to get this chapter out. Thank you so much for being so understanding about how long this has taken and I hope you enjoy it.**


	10. Chapter 9

It had taken Jasper longer than he anticipated to get to Texas from Forks. Then again, it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise, there was a significant amount of distant between the two states, regardless of how much speed his vampire abilities afforded him. He couldn't decide if that extra time to think worked to or against his advantage. In one hand it allowed him to consider how he would explain this whole sorry mess to Peter, because he would definitely have something to say about his bitter lack of judgement. But then, it would also give him time to wallow in his guilt and his own sorrow. As much as his and Alice's relationship had been waning in recent years he had still loved her. And yet he had been nothing but a pawn in his games. He would be lying if he said it didn't hurt. And there was guilt, he felt that he had inadvertently caused Bella's death, well if Angela was to be believed that was.

Jasper knew the exact moment he reached Texas, it wasn't any particular sight, it was the feeling. It felt like coming home, as if he was shedding the skin, the disguise he wore whilst with the Cullens. He felt the need to be something he wasn't leave him with a relief he hadn't felt in decades. It didn't mean he loved his family any less, it wasn't all of them who had put chains on him. Just Alice. But her 'love' had been one hell of a drug that he was only just coming out from.

It only took him another half day to reach the outskirts of Peter's ranch after reaching Texas. It stood just like it had for the last half a century, an impressive but down to earth ranch house set against a background of Texan desert. Amusingly, the man still kept horses despite being able to run faster than the animals ever could. Jasper slowed his pace as he approached, Peter might still consider him the Major but he knew better than to spring a surprise arrival on a trained soldier, especially one that had likely had a lot more practice in preceding decades, especially when he'd be outnumbered by a couple that had trained themselves to work as a well oiled team.

No, instead he watched from the outskirts, where he'd be just outside of vampire scent detection. The sight he saw definitely surprised him. It was no longer just Peter and Charlotte, they had apparently taken on a newborn. He wondered as to the story behind the newborn, it couldn't be very old considering its lack of fighting skill because he knew Peter enough to know that it would be one of his first priorities to make sure the newborn's could protect themselves.

Then again Jasper assumed that Peter was done with the newborn thing after the Southern Wars, but apparently not. He could see the newborn starting to get increasingly frustrated as she was repeatedly taken down by Charlotte. Oh boy, but she finally snapped, lunging at Charlotte with a growl and tearing her arm off in the process. Charlotte looked more amused than alarmed by the proceedings which is less than can be said for the newborn. Peter threw his wife her arm with a wink before going to reassure the newborn. Jasper guessed it was time to make an entrance.

"That's quite a feisty newborn you've got there, Captain" His words triggered Peter and Charlotte into immediate action. Charlotte quickly connected her arm back with a handful of her venom filled saliva whilst they both dropped into a defensive crouch. Both pushed the newborn beside them.

The newborn did not drop into a defensive crouch, she stiffened at his voice, then looked up to where he was standing, panic in her eyes. And finally, Jasper got a look at his Captain's newborn: Bella Swan. Well, she wasn't completely dead.

As soon as Peter realised who their visitor was he dropped out of his defensive crouch. He didn't let the tension out of his stance though. Not until he got to the bottom of what had gone on between human Bella and the Cullen's. Charlotte had also dropped out of her crouch. A curious look on her face as she stared at the Major. He couldn't quite place what Bella was feeling, it was a mixture of fear and maybe guilt.

"You finally grant us worthy a visit after half a century, Major?" Though at this point Peter said Major like it was an ugly word. Peter loved his brother, of course he did, but he was bitter to quite a large extent. And then there was the whole curiosity surrounding his abandoning of a knowledgeable human.

"I don't have any excuses Peter, but here me out. Bella will want to hear this too." He felt the newborn growl beside him, apparently she wasn't too interested in listening to the Major. Then again, she would have dehydrated in a forest because of him and his family so he couldn't blame her.

"If you can persuade the Little Lady to listen to you then fair enough, but I don't know how that's linked to why you rode off into the sunset with no such thing as even a 'kiss my arse' for me and Char." Peter would give him his due's, he at least had the gall to look guilty.

"Because I should have listened to you when you told me that Alice was bad news." Ah, of course. The twisted little Pixie. Peter should have guessed it was to do with her. He was just about to allow Jasper closer when Bella tapped him on the back.

"Do I have to speak to him?" There was a world of hurt in the question. From what he could tell Bella and the Major hadn't been close as a human but he had still abandoned her, along with the rest of the Cullen's. He petted her cheek affectionately.

"No, you stick with Char, Little Lady. If you wanna speak with the Major then that's on your terms. Until then I'll deal with him." She nodded before shuffling up to Charlotte. Only when she looked a little more comfortable did he nod at the Major to give him permission to come in.

"You better have one hell of a story, Major." And, he'd be damned if he didn't mean it. Apart from the odd, _monitored_ visit the Major had had no contact with them over the last 50 years. It wasn't something that Peter took lightly.

"I was a mess after the war. You knew that, you were about the only shred of sanity in that whole time. But you were fucked up too, and whilst your mating bond fed some light there was so much darkness. And then, I'd disconnected from the darkest parts of myself, I could feel the fear, horror of my victims and it no longer fed the demon it destroyed the man. And just when I was close to the edge, Peter man I was considering building a fire just to walk into it, Alice turned up. In a room full of humans with half assed emotions she was a beacon. She called to me. There was affection for _me_ in her emotions. It was the drag from the edge I needed. She made tempting promises, another way to live. And I listened. And I changed. I became a man I didn't recognise. The truth was I was ashamed to face you guys. I remember what you said to me when I left. 'The Major's not the problem here, she is.' But I was lovestruck and I'd already associated the Major with everything I hated about myself. So I told you I'd be fine and I walked off into the sunset of a cuddly life of animals and repeating high school over and over. Every time the Major tried to get out, I reigned him in, and every time I did Alice would be _proud_. I thought she was my mate, or at least as close to, because I was a monster who didn't deserve a mate." Peter felt his hard stance melting. He hadn't seen Jasper so emotionally wrought since just after the war.

"I got stuck in the pattern for fifty years. I wore the 'Hale' coat like a protection. They were all so overwhelmingly positive. And despite some shit, most of them loved me. Then we moved to Forks. Apparently, the others had been there before but it was the first time for me and Alice. It was the right sort of place for vegetarian vampires. Plenty of forests to hunt in, and plenty of rain that our absence from school wouldn't be noticed too often. Oh, and mutant wolves designed to kill vampires. Anyway, for a while Forks was fine, we had a treaty with the wolves, the humans were understandably wary but saw us as reasonable polite, decent people. Then Bella turned up, and no offense, but the shit hit the fan. Edward was obsessed with her, he couldn't read her mind, and despite warnings from all of us he still insisted on romancing her. And romance her he did. For a long time, she was smitten. She loved the rest of us too, she wanted in as part of the family. Every time she brought it up Edward always brought up the sanctity of her soul. Then there were some rogue vampires who decided it'd be fun to hunt Bella.

Long story short, the male vampire got to Bella and had bitten her by the time we reached her. Emmett and I offed the male, Edward was too preoccupied with stopping Bella from turning to care about eliminating the threat. He succeeded. Everything was hunky dory once again until her birthday. Bella was adamant that she didn't want a celebration, but Alice, as always, steamrollered over what everyone else wanted. Bella was slightly more human then and cut herself on an envelope. She was Edward's singer so logically his bloodlust skyrocketed. He would have killed her. Tried to get him out the way, he exacerbated the situation by pushing her into a glass cabinet. His bloodlust increased even further, so I tried for him again, but Carlisle and Emmett held me back. Must have thought I was going for Bella. So, I'm removed, Edward's removed. I'm kept away in Alaska for a while with the Denali's. A week later the rest of the family turn up, Esme and Emmett distraught, Carlisle not the happiest either. Bella asked them to leave, blamed me for the attack and realised she'd got in too far." He was about to carry on but was swiftly interrupted by Bella.

" _Bullshit_! Is that what he told you? I never fucking blamed you for one minute. Even ask Alice, I asked to make sure you were okay a number of times in that week!" Hmm. So, Edward and Alice had played Bella as the bad guy to the family and him to Bella in order to stop any questions occurring.

"Well that's where things get interesting then. Things were miserable in Alaska, Emmett and Esme were distraught. Out of us all them two loved you the most. Strangely though Edward and Alice seemed to be fine. It was about three days ago that I figured out why. They've been together the whole time. I don't know why but their plan was to keep me under Alice's _spell_ and to make sure you were dead. They'd assumed you were dead because Alice could no longer see your future. I went back to Forks to find out. Angela threatened me for daring to turn up and confirmed your death. I couldn't bare to give that news to Esme and Emmett, and honestly, I was just a little fucked up over Alice. So, I came to the only other home I had ever known."

Well, this mess seemed to grow with every passing moment. Then again, Peter wasn't surprised this whole mess was orchestrated by the Pixie and mind-reader. They should be warned though, there would be hell to pay when he found them for fucking over his brother and new sister.

"I'll save the 'I told you so' for now. First, we've got to figure out why this was their plan and then how to make them pay." And though Peter hadn't fully forgiven Jasper for leaving him for so long he let him back into the fold with a hug.

 **Here's another chapter. I promise there'll be a bit more of Jasper/Bella interaction next chapter but I wanted the initial meeting to be more from Peter's point of view.**


	11. Chapter 10

Bella didn't know how to feel about the new dynamic in the household. She thought she had left the Cullens in her past, but in one short visit, it appeared they had been reinserted. Well, one of them at least. Her old life and new life were mixing, and whilst it wasn't unpleasant, she wasn't completely comfortable with it either.

She supposed it could have been worse, it could have been Rosalie that had been old friends with her new family. Despite that, she was trying to figure out if she still fit in with this new dynamic. Jasper had been friends with Peter and Charlotte longer than she had been alive, they had weathered storms as a unit that she could not imagine. In comparison, she had no real connection to these people. They had just been incredibly kind, but maybe now they had a new mission, and their family back, they would no longer need her.

On top of that, it was somehow painful seeing Jasper all the time. He was a reminder of the Cullens that had truly loved her and had believed she had given up on them, he was also a reminder of Alice and Edward and their betrayal. She couldn't even comprehend attempting to sympathise with Jasper, she would seem petty and childlike bemoaning her pain from a year's, apparently fake, relationship, compared to his relationship with Alice which had spanned over half a century. The situations were incomparable.

As such, for the first week or so that Jasper was here, she avoided him like the plague. Her new vampire abilities made it a damned sight easier too. She could flit away in seconds when she heard him, her newborn skills making her even quicker. But avoiding Jasper meant avoiding Peter and Charlotte too. Because Jasper was part of the household now, and he and Peter were as thick as thieves. She missed the training, especially now she knew that limbs could be reattached, and she missed the sage advice and the feeling that she was loved and accepted here.

And with time, also, she was becoming thirsty. She had smelt the blood as Peter had brought her food, but she had also been able to hear the honeyed deep tone of Jasper's voice and so she would fight every instinct. Peter would incapacitate the food eventually and leave him there for Bella to find. She accepted the meal, ravishing the morsel in seconds flat, she was sure it was her heightened emotional state that fed into her hunger.

Jasper felt like a mess, not his post-war mess, but a mess, nonetheless. He was glad to be dealing with it here though, rather than back at Alaska where he would have to pretend he new nothing about Edward and Alice. He just couldn't see why they would go through with this, what they could get out of it. Well actually, he could see what they might gain from breaking the Major, but not what they could get from having Bella dead. And if they wanted her dead, why did they not just let him and Rosalie do it like they first suggested, before all the problems with James and Victoria, before the whole family became attached to the human. It was just so non-sensical. He was both confused and distraught. Alice had been his lover for 50 years and he just didn't know how to compute the fact it had been a lie.

He was aware that he had been keeping extremely close to Charlotte and Peter in the last week, they had logic and positivity in spades. They were helping him. But he was also aware of the fact that Bella was well and truly avoiding him, and it was just making things very tense. Sometime in the last few days she had become almost completely invisible to his empathic skills, he had no idea what she was feeling apart from the minute glances at her eyes as she avoided him like a plague. It was a difficult position for Peter and Charlotte to be in too, he could feel their need to make sure he was okay, aware of how much this is likely to trouble him, but then he could feel how much they missed Bella as well. He didn't bring it up though. It was selfish of him, he was well aware, but he had been selfless for so long that he just needed some _time_. He only realised he needed to at least attempt to fix this when he saw a newborn resist the call of food purely to avoid being in his presence.

His talents may be no good in dealing with Bella, her shield must have increased in power since she had turned, but he knew how to deal with newborns. His early war career was built on dealing with newborns, and no matter what some of the newer, cockier vampires had believed it was not just his gift that got him through. He told Peter and Charlotte that he was going to hunt, he told them to have some time to themselves.

Of course, his Captain new him well-enough to know when he was bullshitting but merely nodded, his eyes and emotions giving a warning to make sure that he didn't fuck this up. That was as much permission that Jasper needed to know this could be a good idea.

The benefit of being a vampire for so long was that he had picked up a number of tricks. Whilst he couldn't remove his scent, he had learnt well how to shield it, it was only noticeable if you were looking for a scent or if you had a gift for scenting. Bella might just fall under the latter category due to her being a newborn, but she hadn't had enough training to hone any of her inborn talent yet. There were very little other skills he needed as long as he could find a good enough hiding spot, he didn't need to breathe, so would make no sound and if he was hidden, it was unlikely she'd see him, she'd assume he was with Peter or Charlotte so wouldn't look too closely for him in the woods.

He hadn't quite anticipated how long it would take Bella to come traipsing through the woods. He didn't know quite what it was she was currently doing to keep herself occupied, but it definitely was not involving the surrounding nature. Or today it wasn't at least, he would just have to assume it was his bad luck at this point. He'd _seen_ her going into the woods most days, but being as she wasn't adopting the animal diet, he couldn't fathom what she was doing with her days in there.

It was around 5 hours he waited until he first caught the scent of Bella on his periphery. He noticed that for someone who didn't need to breathe a lot she spent a good portion of her time sighing, though he assumed it was a reflex of her thoughts rather than actually attempting to breathe. He knew from the land enough to guess she was heading down to the river by her current direction. He followed her down there as subtly as he could manage and when he'd finally caught up with her she was sat in the grass by the river, watching a raccoon take a sip further down river. He'd found her, now he just had to get her to stay.

The river was one of Bella's favourite spots to just sit and ponder. She felt less lonely when surrounded by the rush of the river and the small animals pottering about their business, most of them gave her an extremely wide berth, but a few of the braver creatures would come for a closer sniff before scurrying back away. None of them had let them pet them but watching them brought her enough peace. She had gone for a wander a bit further afield today, taking in the Texas skyline rather than retreating here straight away.

She hadn't been aware of Jasper's presence straight away, there had just been a sense of being watched. She couldn't scent anything though and that threw her off the idea, she assumed it was just a small dash of paranoia. But as she kept running, she kept hearing the soft but subtle sound of footsteps that were out of touch with her own. With that knowledge she focused her nose, trying to figure who was following her, she had to know if it was a threat. It took her several moments for her to focus in on the scent, buried under levels of protection. She wasn't the happiest, but she accepted that Jasper had come to talk to her. She could only assume it was to relieve the tension in the house.

Despite knowing he was now there, she had continued on until she reached the river, sitting down comfortably and watching a raccoon sip from the water that was flowing gently in the glowing sun. She was almost positive that he didn't know she knew he was there, and that he was waiting for the right moment to not alarm her into running away. She decided to put him out of his misery after a good five minutes.

"How could you all kill the animals, which were innocent, but see feeding from humans who were murderers and rapists as a travesty, Jasper?" She turned towards where he had stopped. The question genuine, as well as the flicker of amusement as she watched the bush twitch from what she assumed was his surprise.

"On a personal level it was about the emotions. Whilst the animals had them, they were muted, and were often less violent and dark than humans. It wasn't about what was right, it was about what was easier," He had come out of the bush by now, obviously seen. He came over and sat next to Bella on the grass, his head turned towards the sun despite his attention being aimed at Bella, "How long have you known I was there?"

He was genuinely curious, he had no idea that she knew until she had given herself. He was surprised that she was even allowing it to occur.

"I felt you watching me from the beginning. The scent thing threw me off, but I had to know it wasn't an enemy. It wasn't, it was you." Jasper was impressed, it took a lot of power to work through a scent-masking when you didn't know about it as an ability. He was sure that with the right training she would go on to be a phenomenal vampire.

"That's impressive. Many a vampire older than you wouldn't have been able to push through it. If you knew it was me, I'm surprised you didn't try and run off. You've been avoiding us all." He saw Bella shrug out of the corner of his eye, it was weird not being able to feel her emotions, he had only her body language and words to go at. Of course, he had received his gift because he'd been exceptionally good at reading people as a human.

"I wasn't sure what I could say. I can't even imagine how shit it has been for you finding this all out. I didn't want to add any more bad emotions to your load. You needed Peter and Char. But I figured I couldn't avoid you forever, and I miss them."

At the explanation Jasper had to fight the urge to laugh. She had seemed so different, seemed so full of fire when she had been fighting, so angry when she had found out about Edward's lies, but at the core she was still the same person at the crux of it, selfless to a fault.

"Well you needn't worry, Darlin', I can't feel your emotions any longer. Even then, whilst you didn't say it, you shouldn't worry about feeling your feelings are inferior. I may have more memories that have been tarnished, but you lost more Darlin'. First you lost us all because of my actions and my manipulation, and then whilst you hadn't technically lost us all, you had still lost someone you had deeply loved and someone you considered a best friend and sister. It's gonna take time for us to be okay, Darlin' but avoiding people who want to help you isn't gonna solve anything." He bumped his shoulder against hers, offering her a genuine smile.

"You know, apart from the hotel room in Phoenix I think this is the most we've ever interacted. And both times you've had some real words of wisdom. I feel like I've been really selfish by avoiding you all. Char and Peter have been nothing but good to me. If they hadn't turned up, there's a real good chance I would have died in the forest." Jasper was confused, he had wondered how Bella had ended up with Peter and Charlotte but when he'd asked, he'd just been told that it was Bella's story.

"How did you end up in a forest?" Bella let out a laugh, and he didn't need his gift to know there was a reasonable amount of bitterness injected into it.

"In short? It's where Edward left me after telling me that he nor any of his family cared for me at all and you were all leaving. I was distraught, lost and it was dark, I fell asleep on the forest floor, and woke to Charlotte's face. And the rest is history."

And the rest was history, indeed, thought Jasper, the rest was history, indeed.

 **Is this… a chapter. Wonders will never cease. Hope y'all are doing great and enjoy the Bella-Jasper interaction in this chapter.**


	12. Chapter 11

Jasper had figured that Bella had been hurt by Edward. It was there in the way she had been acting, the way she had reacted to his presence when he had first arrived, but he'd never suspected that he had done something that _cruel._ It would have been one thing to break her heart by telling her that he didn't love her, but to also take away a whole family on top of that must have been horrific.

"I don't know how we never realised he was such a monster. I hope you know that we definitely do not hate you, and whilst I was distant, I still saw you as part of the family. I told you back in Phoenix that you were worth it, and I still stand by it." Once again, he bumped his shoulder against hers. The action slowly becoming a subtle sign of comfort between the two.

"Is it true? What you said about Esme and Emmett really caring too?" There was a desperate, hopeful edge to her voice, one that Jasper didn't need his gift to detect. It made him believe that it would take time for Bella to trust any of them again, despite all his words of assurance.

"Yes, the Cullen household has been a miserable place since your absence. I didn't tell them the full story of what I'd heard from Edward and Alice. I didn't want to hurt them unnecessarily so I used the guise of visiting Peter and Charlotte to see if what they suspected was true." A small, sad smile graced Bella's lips, and yet he couldn't guess what she might be feeling in this moment, nor what she might be thinking.

"Y'know, while I was obviously upset about Edward, it wasn't him that hurt the most. Realistically it wouldn't have lasted, we were too different. He wanted control, I wanted freedom, but I was too blinded in the beginning to express that. It was all of the rest of you not caring, not wanting me with you. I was so sure when he said 'we're leaving' that we included me. And then it crashed around me. It wasn't even that you considered me too dangerous or something I could internalise. It was that you saw me as game, as a _toy_ , worthless and easy to discard." She wasn't trying to hide the pain in the voice. It was too new still, fresh in her hyperaware vampire brain. But at the same time sitting here with Jasper was lessening her pain. Not his words per se, but his presence, they reinforced his words. He had sought her out when he could have just let her be. He showed once again in a subtle way that he truly cared.

"It wasn't fair what he did to you. I can't even fathom why he would want to do it, especially with his mate right in his home. There is either something they're trying to hide, or they have a darker plan than we realised." He paused, worrying what else they could be plotting if they'd managed to pull the wool over all their eyes all this time. But it would not help to worry about it now. "I should call Esme soon. She'll want to be sure I made it here okay. I'd like to update her on the situation with you, but that's only if you're comfortable with that." He wanted to give her the choice. Edward had trampled over too many of her choices in his time with her, and woe become him if he became like him.

Bella didn't need to contemplate it. She needed to know for herself if Jasper's words were truth, if Esme really did care. I hopeful, worrisome bubble knotted in her stomach as she nodded to Jasper. While she needed to know, she was still worried that he was wrong, or misjudged the atmosphere, maybe it was only that they missed Forks? Or their emotions weren't as bad as Jasper first showed. He sent her a warm comforting smile, she could only guess her worries were written all over her face, that or her shield had dropped. It wouldn't be illogical for saying she was a newborn.

One of his hands rested over hers in comfort, his marble flesh on hers felt warm compared to the cold when she had been human, while his other hand grabbed his phone. She smiled softly when she realised that Esme was on speed dial on his phone. It was a feature she rarely used.

The blaring ring tone was jarring to her new ears and to her nerves, seeming almost ominous in the still of the river. Not that it was long that it rang, barely before the second tone had gone through the phone was picked up.

"Jasper?" Esme's voice was as she remembered it, yet more musical to her fresh ears, there was concern in her tone, almost as if she had been waiting by the phone for news.

"Hey Esme. Are you somewhere private?" The private part was obvious meant to exclude Alice and Edward rather than true privacy.

"They've flown to Paris. ' _If my husband cannot be here to take me to fashion week, at least I can count on my dearest brother'_ " She sounded as if she was attempting mocking, but it just came out tired and mocking. "Do you want me to gather the others?"

Jasper looked to Bella, who swallowed on nervous reflex before nodding. "Yes, it's something they should all hear." Jasper and Bella could hear Esme calling Rosalie and Emmett and could only assume that Carlisle was already with her. It was only moments later that they heard the sound of a door opening and then Emmett and Rose's voice on the other line.

"We're all here now Jasper. Has something happened?" Jasper steeled himself. He wasn't quite sure how to start this conversation.

"It wasn't just about Edward and Alice's affair that I heard about in the forest. What I heard from them was terrible and I wanted to see if what they hoped was true before coming to you because I knew it would hurt you. So, I took a detour on the way to Texas." He could almost hear the questions he was sure they were thinking, but yet they stayed silent awaiting for him to go on. "Alice could no longer see Bella in her visions, and believed, hoped, that meant she was dead. So I went to Forks." He heard them gasp. "I bumped into Angela, who berated me for turning up after it was my family that had caused Bella's death. I took that as confirmation and left Forks and headed to Texas." He heard Esme let out a strangled sob, and what he could only guess was Emmett breaking something in the distance. He felt Bella's hand tighten in his in response. "Angela was mostly wrong." That gave them pause, their attention going back to Jasper though he could still hear Esme sniffling in the background. "When I got to Peter and Charlotte's they were training a newborn. That newborn was Bella." Of course, there were other bits and pieces to the story, but he'd gotten the important parts across.

"Bella is a vampire? With Peter and Charlotte? How did that come to occur?" Carlisle's questions were concise and covered most of what he had left out of his story.

"Yes, Bella is a vampire and with Peter and Charlotte. How that came to be is her story, but in short, Edward told her as many lies as he told us."

"If Peter and Charlotte are amenable to hosting us, I believe the best next step would be to meet as a family to discuss what this means for us as a group and where we go from here." Carlisle was that kind of detached formal that he adopted when relaying important information, before his voice softened at the end, ""And of course if Bella is willing to meet with us."

Jasper could still hear the tentative, wary tone that spoke of the damage that Edward had inflicted but still her response was swift, "Please, I'd like that." Jasper sent her another hand squeeze.

"I'll clear it with Pete and Char, they won't mind." And with that the call was ended after short discussion of timings.

 _I'm back. Uni is fun but between socialising and actually doing the stuff I need to do it doesn't leave all that much time left to write. Having said that, now that I'm used to how it rolls I should be able to better keep up with updates. Or at least attempt to_


	13. Chapter 12

"They're not going to agree as easily as you suggested, will they?" There was light laughter in Bella's tone as she directed the question at Jasper.

He hated to admit it, but she made a too good point. They certainly wouldn't be so easy to agree, the Cullens, in their eyes, were the cause of the separation between them and him. But even so with Bella also wanting them here he may be able to spin it, especially as the two they had always had the most problem with wouldn't be here. He didn't share his full thought process with her though, simply stating,

"They'll come around." Again, she let out that laugh. It still had that chesty quality from when she was human but with a higher, more musical lilt. An infectious sound that saw him smiling along with her, smoothing out the worry lines that had formed.

"If they're arriving in around two days should we not ask Charlotte and Peter soon?" The worry was back in Bella's tone, and it was clear that she was extremely nervous. Maybe partly about asking Peter and Charlotte, but mostly about the reunion between her and the Cullens.

"Hmm, maybe not yet. I told them to go have some fun, and we won't want to interrupt that for a few hours." She nodded at his advice, pulling a funny little face. Suddenly his mind went back to earlier in the week. She hadn't fed in a while. "We could go hunt. You turned it down earlier in the week." He expected her, being a newborn, to jump at the chance, but instead she threw him a disgusted look.

"I'm not feeding on animals." He'd already been aware of this. She'd made it obvious with the meal Peter had brought her and the question she had asked him earlier in the afternoon.

"I know, Darlin'. I was thinking we could start testing your control, it's impressive you've gone this long without feeding." Relief spread across her features.

"Won't it be uncomfortable for you though? You'll be able to feel their emotions?" It was warming to Jasper to know that neither the change nor Edward had altered her deeply caring personality.

"It'll be fine. Don't worry about me Darlin'." She nodded, appeased and obviously ready to hunt.

It wasn't long until they were passed the barrier of Charlotte and Peter's property. Bella let her hair race behind her as she practically galloped through the trees. She adored the freedom of racing through the forest, knowing she was going at incredible speeds but with the natural reflexes to avoid all the trees. Her brain was so turned on now, she could take note of everything even as she focused on where she was going. She could smell all the plants, hear all the animals a good few miles away going about their lives, she could feel Jasper beside her, strong and steady. It was definitely one of the perks of her new lifestyle.

They had run for a good ten miles before she sensed a change in the air. It was still faint but there, the air was sweeter, enticing, calling to her. She no longer ran aimlessly, she followed the sweetness, like a dog following the scent of chicken. As she slowed, so too had Jasper, his presence there more as a comfort than a lead at the moment, it was holding her steady, allowing her to concentrate rather than letting the scent overwhelm her.

"You've caught the scent?" It was phrased as a question, but Jasper was quite sure, it was written all over her face, the concentration, the almost heady smile. She nodded swiftly, continuing on her path, her nose up in the air trying to focus on the scent.

Another mile and she knew she was close. The scent was stronger, and further than that she could hear the faint hubbub of the city, it sounded like the sea, but with voices and traffic rather than flowing water. It was comforting to hear sounds of life again, it had been so long she had been cooped up on the Whitlock estate and while she knew that it had been for her own good, it didn't mean she hadn't missed some resemblance of life.

The closer she got, the more her throat throbbed with the desire to feed. She had gone too long she knew, and it was now mixing with the lure of the sweet human blood she could feel on the air. But her resolve would not faulter yet, she would not allow it. She needed to find the seedier parts of town, find the criminals. While she was positive, she would not murder innocent animals just so she could feed, her resolve was just as strong towards innocent humans. She turned instead to Jasper, hoping his knowledge of the area would aid her.

"Do you know where the seedier parts of town are?"

Jasper was astounded by this newborn's resolve. She had been an outstanding human in many respects, and it had passed over to her new life. He was glad she had decided to take a pragmatic approach to human hunting, then again, he would have been more surprised if she had been comfortable with mindlessly murdering humans.

Still she was a newborn and it had been at least a week since she had properly fed, he couldn't imagine she was comfortable right now, and yet she found the strength to question him about where to hunt, rather than just following the scents on the air. He took her hand, running down the fill they had found themselves upon, passing widely around one town before he drug her to the outskirts of a particular area.

"Here's your best bet Darlin', some of these building have been used for drugs, some for mob assignments and others for sex trafficking," He let go of her hand, pushing her towards the area as she growled, "Do your worst Darlin'."

She did not rush down as a mindless beast, she kept in the shadows, stalking the area, trying to find the worst of the worst, or someone that smelt satisfactory to her, Jasper could not be sure. She was lithe, making the most of her increased speed and the lightness she had on her feet. It was less than five minutes later that she pushed a metal door in. The material bent to her will, crumpling with a crack. He heard the distinctive sound of gun shots, and then the clatter as they fell to the floor, their speed and power nothing in comparison to Bella's marble body. She stood silhouetted in the doorway, light peaking around her into the dark room, only with his enhanced sight could Jasper see the terrified faces of men staring at their death in horror. Their guns were momentarily still raised before clattering to the floor.

After that, their death was quick. She came upon them as an avenging angel. Her deft hand twisted their necks before latching on drawing as much blood from their throbbing veins as she could. Jasper was amazed with the grace with which she managed in her newborn state. Her final act as she left was to set the building alight, removing the evidence and making Texas three criminals safer. She returned to his side, watching the building burn with satisfaction in her eyes.

"Let's go home." Her words came as the last smouldering ashes danced in the light breeze.

Their journey home was more reserved than whence they left. Bella seemed reverent, not relishing in the kill but accepting its necessity, nonetheless. And of course, now her mind was less fogged with the fire of the desire to feed she focused more on the upcoming days. Both asking Pete and Char for permission and what that would mean if it was granted.

Apparently, Jasper and Bella had been gone long enough for Peter and Charlotte to be done with their _activities._ They were sat in the lounge, Charlotte curled into her mate's side, the TV on but by the way they turned to the door, they had not truly been watching it.

"It's good to see you again, Little Lady." Peter kept all the judgement out of his voice. He could guess at her reasons, and even then, his judgement would help nothing. By the way her face turned sheepish she was already feeling enough guilt on her own.

"I'm sorry. I was really foolish. We've talked, I'll stop hiding. I missed you both." There was sincerity in her voice. He remembered that she had been through trauma, one that was fresh in her mind at the time of change. It was not something he imagined would just disappear overnight. He opened his arms to her where she gladly joined. Charlotte joined too in the group love, whispering to bella a reminder to talk to them in future, to which she nodded emphatically.

Peter looked to his brother, sending a wave of gratitude to him for taking the leap to make things right. As they broke away, the air felt considerably lighter, as if the reunion between Jasper and Bella had sucked the tension out of the household.

"That was one Hell of a chat I must say." It must have been for Peter and Charlotte to have returned first.

"We sorted things a while ago, I took her to hunt." Peter's eyes flashed with surprise, before turning a grin to Bella.

"Atta Girl, I knew you'd be ready soon. But even after not eating earlier in the week? With your control improving we can focus on your fighting more." Excitement laced his tone. Bella had been the only newborn other than Charlotte that he had seen as family. He was immensely proud of the leaps and bounds she was making, despite what had led to her transformation. She grimaced in response, remembering just what had happened last time they had trained. But she knew she needed to learn.

"Maybe we could teach the Cullen's a few tricks while we're teaching Bella?" Jasper sounded distinctly uncomfortable as he made the suggestion. And with the questioning daggers Peter was sending him he felt rightful in his discomfort.

"Firstly, Bella is our responsibility, while I won't discourage your advice Major, we will be training her. Secondly of all, just why would the Cullen's be here for us to train?" There was a warning in Peter's tone. Jasper may have the senior rank, but he hadn't trained in a long time, this wasn't his territory and he knew when the cards were in someone else's hands. He was saved from answering though by Bella.

It was truly masterful, she sent Peter big sad eyes. He watched and felt as the disgruntlement left him to be replaced for sympathy as she spoke. Jasper was sure he wouldn't have been so lucky.

"I thought they hated me. But it was all Edward and Alice. They were my family; I need the truth. And if they lied to all of us there may be some other plan. It'll be safer if we're all together and they're strong. Please, Pete?"

He let out a put-upon sigh, ran a hand roughly through his hair once. He looked to Charlotte, his eyes pleading with her. She merely rested her hand on his shoulder giving him a slight nod. Again. he sighed.

"Well then Little Lady, I guess tomorrow we will be preparing the guest rooms." Both Jasper and Bella slumped in relief. Soon the Cullen's would be here.


	14. Chapter 13

Rose knew Jasper hadn't been telling the full truth about his trip. She knew her brother well enough to know when he wasn't telling the full truth. Having said that she definitely wasn't expecting the truth of his phone call. She hadn't had anything personal against Bella, she just knew that as a human that her presence would either cause trouble for their family or the girl herself. Jasper had been the only other one remotely cautious. Then again, they had had much harder upbringing and were slower to trust. But even she had come to see the positives of Bella's presence in time. But then it had fallen apart.

It had more than fallen apart it had imploded. First with the paper cut, then Bella wanting them gone. Them desolate times where they all thought the girl they saw as family had finally had enough danger. And then before they had even started to repair the cracks from that wound Jasper had brought their world crashing even further around them.

Rose supposed that as she looked back there had been some signs, but they had all been oblivious, seeing their closeness as them just being family, the best of friends. They had no reason to suspect anything else. And then Jasper had left. Rose felt like it was only her and Carlisle even remotely keeping it together, but even then, she could see that even Carlisle was only hanging on by a footstep. One wrong move and she'd be the only keeping this family together. Emmett and Esme were truly a mess. They were both so finely family orientated that as every piece of their unit fell apart, so did they.

Rose wanted to hurt them all. Bella for abandoning them, Edward and Alice for their betrayal. She hated what it was doing to those she loved most. She hated how much it hurt her. And then Alice and Edward had come swanning back in from their _hunt_. They laughed and spoke together like normal, and yet it wasn't normal. It made Rose want to scream.

"Where's Jazz?" Rose fought to hold back a scream. Jasper positively hated that nickname and she knew there was no affection behind it. Now she knew the truth she could see the hidden truths. It was there in her tone, the slightest dip of her face. The way Edward stiffened beside her, his hand twitching as if to make a claim on her. How had they all missed it this whole time?

"Things were getting a bit much for him here, he left to visit Peter and Charlotte for a while." She bit out the words, wanting them out of her sight as soon as possible.

"He went to them degenerates? When we were meant to be leaving for fashion week tomorrow?" Little petty Alice stamped her foot at not getting her way.

For what it was worth Rose quite liked Peter and Charlotte. Yes, they were more rough and tumble than the Cullen's but Jasper always seemed at home with them and they were rather amusing. Maybe Alice's distaste bolstered their favour in her eyes.

"Don't shoot the messenger. Your precious fashion week was never his thing anyway," Maybe she could get rid of them both, "Why don't you take Edward instead. I'm sure Jasper will be back by the end of your trip."

Well, it had certainly got rid of them. They had swanned off together. Rose almost puked into her mouth thinking about just what they'd get up to on their trip.

And with them gone came true silence. Until the phone call.

Esme jumped on her phone as the call came through. She had waited by it desperately. Waiting for any news from Jasper. She couldn't believe how easily the family had fallen apart. She couldn't yet believe Alice and Edward's betrayal. And yet she could, they had always been so close, since the second they had met they had been inseparable. But with Jasper in the picture they had chalked it up to them just been the very best of friends.

"Jasper?" She couldn't keep the concern out of her tone. At her voice speaking Jasper's name, Carlisle came to her side, his mere presence comforting her as it always did.

"Hey Esme, are you somewhere private?" Esme was no fool, she knew just who Jasper meant privacy from. Though the fact that he wanted the privacy made her curious.

"They've flown to Paris. 'If my husband cannot be here to take me to fashion week, at least I can count on my dearest brother'" She was sure her attempt was to mock. That atrocious line Alice had fed her when informing her of her plans. She lost the mocking though, drowned out by the soul deep tiredness. "Shall I fetch the others?"

There was a pause on the line, as if Jasper was contemplating his answer before moments later confirming. He definitely had more than just a regular update to give, that much was obvious. She called out to her two remaining children. They answered the call immediately, seconds late the door to Carlisle's office opening. Rosalie looked to her with curiosity until she noticed the phone in her hand. "Jasper?" The words were silent and mouthed and so too was her nod in response. With that exchange she turned her attention back to the phone call.

"We're all here now Jasper. Has something happened?" Carlisle's hand gripped her shoulder a little tighter as Jasper sighed on the other end of the phone, tumbling over his words slightly as he tried to put into words just what had happened.

"It wasn't just about Edward and Alice's affair that I heard about in the forest. What I heard from them was terrible and I wanted to see if what they hoped was true before coming to you because I knew it would hurt you. So, I took a detour on the way to Texas." So far, all Jasper had told them had created more questions, and yet they knew that they would not be helpful right now. So, they waited. "Alice could no longer see Bella in her visions, and believed, hoped, that meant she was dead. So, I went to Forks." Esme gasped as her fear set in, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the rest of what Jasper had to say. "I bumped into Angela, who berated me for turning up after it was my family that had caused Bella's death. I took that as confirmation and left Forks and headed to Texas." Esme felt the world fall out from beneath her just a little, the phone slipping from her grasp onto Carlisle's desk. She couldn't imagine that sweet, sweet girl that had captured all their hearts was dead. She didn't want to even know what had caused it. She sobbed onto Carlisle's chest, as his arms encircled her. He was ramrod straight as if struggling to process it himself.

Emmett felt the pain rush up and hit him at full force. It felt as if he had been living in a nightmare since the paper cut, and this must be the precipice. Because he was falling now. Bella had been his little sister, and he hated that she thought them too dangerous, and now there would be now way to find her in the future. She was gone. He buried his hand into the door beside him, the heavy wood cracking under his force. He wanted to continue on, but he lost his strength, sinking to his knees. Rose was there by his side, rubbing circles in his back. It was comfort, but not comfort enough. And then Jasper continued on.

"Angela wasn't completely right. When I got to Peter and Charlotte's they were training a newborn. That newborn was Bella."

Carlisle felt like he was on a rollercoaster of emotions. Even his enhanced vampiric brain was struggling to compute this whole story. It all seemed out of his control. It had done for a while now as he watched his family crumble around him with nothing to do. He wanted to hate going to Forks, but the cracks had obviously been hidden under the surface long before then, and without Forks they would have never got to know Bella.

"Bella is a vampire? With Peter and Charlotte? How did that come to occur?" Carlisle was aware that he was snapping the questions out, the way he would talk to an EMT when they brought him a critical case. Maybe it was because in this mess of a time his work was something he could count on.

"Yes, Bella is a vampire and with Peter and Charlotte. How that came to be is her story, but in short, Edward told her as many lies as he told us." Jasper's words made it occur to him that maybe Bella had wanted them to leave as little as they had wanted to go. There had to be a way forward from this.

"If Peter and Charlotte are amenable to hosting us, I believe the best next step would be to meet as a family to discuss what this means for us as a group and where we go from here." Carlisle was that kind of detached formal that he adopted when relaying important information, before his voice softened at the end, "And of course if Bella is willing to meet with us."

He felt inexplicably responsible. He was meant to be the coven leader, and only if he had fact checked, tried to talk to Bella then maybe this could have all been avoided. Or at least part of it, it was only so long Alice and Edward could have kept their mating a secret, even if they had managed it for sixty years. He had got so accustomed to Jasper's voice that he had been shocked when the voice changed.

"Please, I'd like that." The voice had changed since them few weeks since Forks but was clearly, undoubtedly the voice of Bella. There were many things he wanted to say, many he imagined the others wanted to say, but they would see her, and Jasper, again soon. He quickly discussed arrangements with Jasper, before cutting the call.

Two days. Two days until they were going to reunite with the girl that had pulled them closer than they had been in years. Hope had clearly been renewed in Esme, she sprung into action, as if she'd never been lifeless at all. It had barely been two weeks since they arrived, but she was pulling their suitcases out the attic, filling them mainly with clothes. They weren't moving permanently so she didn't need to pack up the house, but she also didn't know how long they were staying. As they were having to take luggage, they were going to have to take the cars, the slow human vehicles adding time to their journey.

Rosalie sighed in relief as she saw Esme come alive. Rose was cold and closed off, she was never made to be the matriarch of this family, she had accepted her role as daughter a long time ago, even come to love it with time. After being on the other side as her family fell apart, she gained a new appreciation both for her own simpler role and the inner strength Esme had as a woman. She was most glad for the change in her own mate. People often thought them both shallow, but just because they were cautious of sharing their affection with outsiders, she knew her husband felt things deeply and with his whole heart.

As Esme had went into preparation overdrive, Emmett had pulled her aside into a quiet corner. He was filled with new hope, but she could see the fear still dancing around his eyes.

"Do you think she genuinely still cares?" Rosalie's heart broke, her man was one of the strongest people she knew, but not around his family. And Bella was apart of his family. And, she was no longer loathed to admit it, a part of their family.

"I suspected Jasper left for more than the affair. I think there is more to this mess than we knew, and we can only wait to hear her side." She pulled her husband into her arms, her hands wrapping around his broad back. She could comfort him, but she knew at this point only Bella could soothe his fear and worry. And if it all fell apart again, then she would be there with him every step of the way, but hope had found its way into her chest.

It was barely two hours after the phone call that the Cullen clan had all piled into Emmett's jeep. It had been most convenient with the luggage. Rosalie had taken the driver's seat, her spare hand resting on Emmett's thigh. While he was loath to give his baby up to anyone, even he could admit he was too nervous to drive safely. A crash wouldn't hurt them, but he didn't want it to hurt an innocent stranger either.

The drive was mostly silent, Esme and Emmett too nervous for chatter, Rosalie focused on driving. They drove straight through day and night; it was obvious when they started to reach Texas. It slowly got warmer; greenery gave way to desert. Even Rosalie herself felt the nerves creeping up on her as she slipped off the main highway into the twisting, turning dirt road that took them into the middle of nowhere. Well not nowhere, where Peter and Charlotte lived.

They travelled almost half an hour on these desolate roads before coming upon the ranch, it stood large and proud, framed by the strong Texan sun. Rosalie slowed as she got closer, not quite trying to prolong it, but giving herself and her family the chance to steel their nerves. She could see Peter and Charlotte framed in the doorway, Jasper and Bella currently no where to be seen. Charlotte looked positively wary. Rosalie met the other woman's eyes and exchanged a nod.

Subtle, but it expressed their own understanding for their family to be happy. They had each recognised themselves as the mediator of their own side if things went sour. Peter stood beside her, arms crossed against his broad chest. His eyes were hard. He had been wary of the family before this, she couldn't imagine this mess had exactly warmed him to their plight.

With one final sigh, she shut off the car, gave Emmett's leg one last comforting squeeze and then opened the car door. It was time to face this mess head on.


	15. Chapter 14

The two days between the phone call and the Cullen's arrival seemed to pass in a whirlwind. Bella was grateful for Peter and Charlotte's training; it kept her mind off the upcoming meeting.

While Bella could say she was coming on in leaps and bounds in regard to her control she could not say the same for her training. Her first experience had made her wary. She knew that the limbs could go back on, but she hated to see it happen, and so she held back. With every time she held back, Peter would come back at her harder, telling Charlotte to go faster, stronger, play tricks. She knew what Peter was doing, he was trying to frustrate her into reacting, like he had the first time. But while she certainly had felt the frustration and wanted to snap out, she had remembered what had happened last time she had given in, it had ended with Charlotte's hand on the floor.

They were over half-way into the first day and Peter had gotten nowhere in regard to getting Bella to let go of her inhibitions. He was more likely to snap before her at this point, then again, his temper had never been that easy to hold.

"For God's sake Bella, we're not breakable. Charlotte will go back together. While we're training at least. But you won't if we're facing an enemy. They won't care for your reservations; they'll rip your head off and throw it into the closest fire. I don't know about you, but I'd really like to avoid that scenario." Peter was aware that Charlotte was sending him a dirty look, but he needed to get through to her, sooner rather than later.

Bella reared back from him, standing ramrod straight.

"Yes, Sir." Peter ran a hand through his hair. He hated to do it, but he just wanted to see the people he cared about able to protect themselves.

"No, I'm sorry Little Lady, I shouldn't have stopped. We need to work on your fear of ripping our limbs before we start you on fighting. But that can wait until tomorrow." He had a plan, he just needed to talk to Charlotte about it first, it would be her in the firing line after all.

"Bella found herself back by the river after her dismissal. She could see the importance in what Peter was trying to teach her, but her human self was just too close in her mind. It was there telling her that if she went too hard, she'd do permanent damage. People couldn't cope without their limbs. She ran a hand through the water, somehow despite her iciness it still felt cool to the touch. She watched as the fish under the surface took a wide berth around her, bringing a smile to her face. She was only there for half an hour before she felt Jasper coming to sit beside her. She sent him a small smile.

"Peter didn't mean to snap at you. He cares about you." Bella sighed. She guessed that it might be that, that Jasper had come to her about. She took her hand out the water, stretching back on her arms so she could see Jasper better.

"I know. He was right to snap at me. I know why he's trying to train me, but the idea of ripping someone's limb off conflicts so strongly with my human memories." Bella sighed. Being a vampire at the minute seemed like one new challenge after the last.

"You'll have time to make peace with it. This is the first time Peter has trained a newborn outside of Maria's camp. It was fight or die. You didn't have the chance to dwell on your human memories. But this isn't the war, and you're not a normal newborn." Jasper pulled the shirt away from his collar just slightly, "I've lost count of the amount of time I've lost a limb, been bitten. You couldn't see the scars as a human, or if you could they wouldn't register."

Bella turned to look at what Jasper was showing her. Jasper had always worn long sleeves with high collars. This was the most skin she'd seen of him, and it became immediately obvious what he was showing her. Barely any skin was exposed and yet what she could see was covered in tiny ridges of half-moons. She recognised them straight away, she had been carrying one herself since her time with James. Vampire bite marks. She'd seen them on Peter and Charlotte too but had yet to enquire about them. They could escape the war, but the memories would follow them forever.

She reached out tentatively, a finger running over the curve of Jasper's shoulder. She looked up at him with pure sympathy in her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Then almost as an after-thought, "Is that why you've always worn long sleeves."

Jasper nodded. He wasn't quite expecting her reaction. He had used them as a lesson before, and he had experienced fear and disgust in response to their sight, but never sympathy, a deep compassion turned towards him. "Foreign vampires see them as a threat. Alice wasn't too fond either." He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. He had remembered the first time they met, the way she projected so much joy and affection, and yet even that couldn't hide the disgust she had felt when she had first set eyes on his scars. He had taken to hiding them since then.

"Are you ashamed of them?" It was a strange question. He had never really considered it; he was ashamed of some of the things he'd done in his past but not the scars he had. They were now a part of him. So, he shook his head at Bella's question, "You should stop hiding them, then. Pete and Char don't."

"They don't bother you?" He had yet to meet a vampire yet, that hadn't been in a war, that hadn't been bothered by them. In fact, those that had been in a war were more likely to be bothered. Bella merely looked confused at his question.

"Why would I be? They are a part of you. I was alarmed when I first woke up, but that settled soon because I know you guys." Her finger still absent-minded ran over the piece of skin he had exposed to her. She never failed to astound him with her viewpoint towards the world. She was a breath of fresh air.

"I'll consider it." It was the most he could bare to agree to at the minute. He was so used to covering up. Maybe if he spent more time here, he would feel more comfortable having his scars on show, Peter and Charlotte definitely had no qualms.

The next day rolled around and Peter was glad that Charlotte had agreed to his plan. Though he definitely owed his girl after this stunt. Bella came out onto the front again, there was nerves still obviously in her eyes, but he could clearly see some new resolve in her face. Maybe he wouldn't have to resort to his master plan.

"We'll only do a few hours today, Little Lady, with the _visitors_ arriving. Get into position." Bella nodded. Her talk with Jasper had given her some resolve. She knew Peter was used to a certain type of teaching and she would try to play into it, he was only trying to help her. She faced Charlotte, lowering her body ready to attack.

Today's practice certainly went a lot smoother than the previous day. Bella was clearly lacking skill and the way to use her speed, but she didn't hold back as much. Once again, she ripped Charlotte's arm clean off. She felt the panic rise in her chest like a fire, threatening to consume her. But she didn't show it, she breathed slow and deep as if she was a human experiencing a panic attack, she watched with cautious eyes as Charlotte spit into her own hand and used it as a glue to fuse her own arm back on. It was a strange sight to watch.

The limb twisted in Charlotte's grip fighting to get back to its rightful place, it sucked back into its place comfortably with a final click. Charlotte looked at the limb, gave it a testing flex before adding some more venom and grinning. She turned back to Bella.

"Atta girl, we'll make a soldier out of you yet." Bella sent her companion a shaky smile. She was glad that Charlotte hadn't gone to take any of her limbs as of yet. It was weird enough watching someone else put their limbs back, she couldn't imagine doing it to herself.

"Come on, that'll do for today. We should make a game plan for the upcoming visit." Peter's voice was still that clipped authority voice he used with his training. If it wasn't aimed at her Bella was sure she would giggle every time he adopted his 'Captain' persona. It was so far removed from his fun-loving free personality, he folded his arms behind his back, standing at ease.

But it was aimed at her, and so like a good little soldier she followed his orders. He led them into the main house where Jasper was sat with a nose buried in a book, grumbling to himself. It was a point of great amusement to Bella when she discovered that Jasper enjoyed reading books about the civil war and bemoaning the inaccuracies. She plopped down next to him, while Peter and Charlotte sat in the other slightly lumpy sofa near them. The furniture was definitely well loved in the household.

Once inside and by Charlotte, Peter's 'Captain' persona visibly left him, back to the brother she had come to know and love in these few days. At their presence Jasper placed his book on the table beside them.

"How'd it go today?" Jasper had taken Peter to heart when he had said that he'd be the one training Bella, he respected his brother enough to not undermine him needlessly especially when he knew he would give impeccable training. That didn't mean he wouldn't be curious nonetheless about how the training was going. Especially after yesterday.

Peter grinned at him widely.

"She's still got a while to go, but we'll make a savvy fighter out of the Little Lady yet, she ripped our Char's arm off again." Jasper could feel Peter's pride and feeling of accomplishment with his gift and see it in his face. After a minute his face become a little more serious. "We have a few hours until the Cullens arrive, how do you want to play this?"

Jasper couldn't imagine he would ever need a 'game plan' to face his family. But then again, the game plan wasn't for him, it was for Bella beside him who had become stiff and wary beside him. He put his hand over hers, squeezing gently to attempt some comfort.

"You and Char should await them as the hosts. I'll join you if you'd rather. Bella should stay here where she's as calm as can be." He looked to her to make sure she was okay with this plan of action. She knew one of the things she hated about Edward was the way he always made decisions without asking her first. She smiled warmly at him and nodded thankful.

"If Bella's staying you should stay too, I don't want to see the Little Lady alone at the minute." That was definitely a valid point on Peter's part, Jasper knew how good Bella was at jumping to conclusions and left alone with her worry it was what she'd undoubtedly do.

After it was decided, it was just a matter of waiting for any sign of the Cullens. At the first sounds of a truck in the distance Peter and Charlotte went to the door. Bella and Jasper were left behind. Jasper kept his hand in Bella's rubbing his thumb in circles on the back of her palm. He didn't need his gift to see just how terrified she was of how this would go. He only hoped this went well for everyone's sake.

Charlotte stood at the door staring almost absently into the distance. She had never hosted the Cullens, never had a desire to either. Then again that was mostly due to Alice and Edward. Other than their weird drinking habits the others were okay. She like Rosalie and Emmett, they were the most similar to them, and while she would never see truly eye to eye with the Matriarch and Patriarch she could at least respect. Well mostly. But this was different, they were possibly a threat to her family, and though for so long it had only been just Peter and Jasper she considered family, it didn't mean she wouldn't protect Bella just as fiercely just because she was new.

Peter had decided to play bad cop, she was indifferent cop, Jasper could play good cop. They were his family. It wasn't long they had to wait until the jeep got steadily closer. She observed what she could see through the tinted windows. The good doctor looked wary, but not overwhelmed with emotion. His mate beside him and the large bear in the front looked nigh on as nervous as their own Bella in the house. And when she made eye contact with the blonde driving, she saw her own resolve mirrored back. This woman wouldn't let them hurt her family as much as she wouldn't the Cullen's hurt her own family. They exchanged a nod of understanding.

And then the Cullens were upon them.

 _I entirely intended on having the Cullens meeting Bella in this Chapter. But I got a little carried away. I'd love if you dropped a review if you're enjoying this_


	16. Chapter 15

Bella kind of wished she didn't have vampiric hearing at this point in her life. She could hear the vehicle grinding on the sand. She could guess from the weighty sound that they had come in Emmett's Jeep.

The bang of the car doors, somehow perfectly in time, felt like it was sealing her fate. She was thankful for Jasper there by her side, his hand in hers a physical anchor to the here and now. Even if this all went to shit, she'd still have Charlotte and Peter to count on. Time she set her resolve.

Emmett had to admit that Texas was beautiful, all sprawling, sandy landscapes that seemed to go on forever, and then the Whitlock ranch was even more beautiful. They lived in so much modern splendour, passed so much of it on the way and yet the Whitlock ranch was like being transported back into the late 1800's. Being vampires in the middle of nowhere they had no need to improve everything to live in the modern world. Smoke rose from the top of the building from what Emmett could only assume was a fire.

But Emmett could not truly appreciate his surroundings at this point. His mind was elsewhere, his mind was inside the building not in the building's decoration. It was with his little sister who he thought he'd never see again, who he thought didn't _want_ to see him again up until the last few weeks. Usually he was the comic relief in his family the one who could lighten a situation even when things were relatively dire. But not this time, there was light in everything apart from losing family. He only hoped that she was willing to see them now she was changed and that this meeting wasn't as awkward as he feared it would be.

Peter and Charlotte standing impassively at the door, like dark wardens of the household, certainly did not aid his nerves. Without the comforting touch of his mate he was sure he would have resorted to human habits, the way he used to bite his fingernails in a way to focus on anything but what was causing the nerves within him.

They were out of the car both much sooner and much later than he would have liked. He had no idea how this was going to go. He hated what Alice and Edward had done to his family but in situations like this he couldn't deny they had their benefits.

Despite their intimidating look as they approached, Charlotte met them with a warm smile, shaking all their hands before leading them into the house. It was a shame the same couldn't be said for Peter. He was as standoffish as he had initially appeared. He merely grunted at them as greeting and threw his wife a dirty look at her courtesy. Emmett couldn't tell if this was manufactured roles or just how they had personally reacted to their presence.

It was a weird sight, to see Jasper and Bella together. Not just together, but alone together. Emmett could only remember one time during Bella's time with them where they had been alone together, and that had been when they were hiding from James. And yet, while it was weird it looked natural. As if they had always been this close. By the looks of it, Bella was only keeping her composure purely because of Jasper's presence beside her.

Bella didn't know how to feel. She both felt like she was coming home and that this situation couldn't be any stranger. She didn't know what to say, couldn't even formulate the words in her head let alone on her tongue. Peter and Charlotte had sat down, though she could tell in their subtle tensions that they were ready for anything. The Cullen's put up no such pretence of relaxation, they stood solid as statues by the door. A range of emotions on each and between their faces. Like Bella they seemed unsure quite where to start with this introduction. Or reintroduction so it were.

In the end it was Rosalie who broke the silence.

"I suppose I should start with an apology. I was unfair to take my dislike of Edward out on you. Or less my dislike of Edward but my disagreement with his life choices. I felt it was wrong to introduce a human to the family, when the fallout could affect us all. As such I never took the time to get to know you. I also didn't really like the way you were so willing to give up your humanity for Edward." Bella was kind of glad that it was Rosalie that had started. She had the least conflicted emotions around her.

"I didn't want to change for Edward. I wanted to change to be with the family. But I can understand why you wouldn't want me around at first. I brought more danger to your family. But maybe now that risk is gone, we could get to know each other better." She had always wondered what Rosalie's problem had been with her. She was even sure it went slightly deeper, but it was definitely a start.

Rosalie gave her a smile. Small, unsure, but it was a step in the right direction. One battle down, but she wasn't sure yet how the others would go. But by the looks of it, Rosalie's bravery had opened the rest of the family up to make their peace. They came to sit on the furniture spotted around the living room. Relaxing just slightly.

Esme took the seat directly next to Bella. Reaching out to take her hand.

"I am terribly sorry for leaving. I can't think how terribly you must think of us, we called you family. And then left without saying goodbye. Even though Edward had told us you didn't want to see us we should have followed up, checked on you." Bella could see the tears forming in Esme's eyes. Pools of venom that would gather but never get released. And Bella could tell they weren't just crocodile, she could see the genuine regret, remorse swimming behind them. She wasn't surprised, the idea that Esme would just leave her had rocked her beliefs, and now seeing that she regretted put Bella's world back to rights.

She embraced the woman into her arms, feeling like she was home once more. "It's okay Esme, you never told the lie, nor did you have the power in the coven to go against it. I'm just glad that you're back." But while she made her peace with Esme, she realised that the one person she had true animosity towards regarding the situation. And after her moment with Esme he was next to speak up.

"Yes Bella, we are truly sorry with how this all came about and we hope with time you will come to accept and trust us once again." And while he sounded oh so sincere Bella refused to let him off as easily as she had Esme or even Rose.

"Who is the coven leader in your _family_ " She didn't mean for the word family to come out quite so bitterly, because she knew how much it all meant to them. But she was angry. And a newborn. It was likely to be a toxic mix even with her being as controlled as she was.

In his defence Carlisle looked taken aback by the question. It was no surprise though, he had just watched Bella easily accept both Rosalie and Esme's apologies with open arms, mixed with the fact Bella had always been generally mild mannered. Yes sir, no sir. She had been a doormat while she was with Edward and it was a side of her personality that Carlisle was more accustomed, but it certainly wasn't her whole personality.

"Bella you know I'm the coven leader?" It came out as a question, his confusion lacing both his face and his words.

"Then this isn't Edward and Alice's fault it's _yours_. They are coven members; they can contribute but they don't make decisions. You, as you just admitted, are coven leader. It is you who has the final say, who can override people's suggestions." She was talking rapidly, her agitation and hurt, clearly showing. "But it was always Edward and Alice who got their way. Because of their _gifts_. Because if Alice could see it then surely it must be true, despite her visions being based on decisions, and Edward must be hearing certain thoughts perfectly. He would never be overwhelmed by multiple minds around him. It's not fair Carlisle, how you've let them run _your_ coven. It's not fair on me, it's not fair on Rose and Emmett or Jasper and it's especially not fair on Esme. She's your _mate_ , her opinion is meant to come before all else. God, even common sense should have come before Alice and Edward! How was you expecting leaving a human with vampire knowledge to end? You told me about the Volturi, you must be fools if you didn't think they knew, especially with both Victoria and Laurent still free and about!" There were very few times she had been this angry in her life, but like always, when it occurred it boiled out of her like a kettle that had been filled just a little too high.

Carlisle had never considered the blame could be partially to blame. He had always considered his coven a family, a democracy so to speak. While he was the seen leader, he rarely dictated to them. And yet as she was saying it, she could see where Bella was right. Places where he had followed Alice and Edward over logic, and over the majority. Jasper had suggested they needed to find Victoria after killing James, and while nothing bad had happened yet he could see how that was the logical course of action. He had trusted Alice's claims that it would be fine because he wanted to. He didn't want to kill and so he ignored what was best for his family. And then with the Bella situation he had taken Edward and Alice's wishes over his family's wishes, the majority, over his own wishes. But most importantly he could see where he had taken Alice or Edward's side over his own mate's side.

And while before he had seen the disappointment in her eyes she had bounced back and made the best of an unwanted situation, this had to be the final time. Because she would not have just bounced back from leaving Bella, it was more than jut disappointment, it was pain and heartbreak. Maybe not as keenly, but one she had already felt before.

He hated that it was this that had made him see but he knew from then on in that something had to change.

"You're right. I have no way to excuse my behaviour. I owe not only you but my whole family an apology. We had become stagnant in our ways and the conclusion could have been infinitely worse. I believe from here on out that change needs to occur within my coven." He was surprised when Bella smiled at him in return. He was sure after his frosty reception that it would continue. And yet perhaps he may be wrong.

"They were good manipulators. As long as we learn from this situation," Then for the first time during the whole ordeal she stood up to where Carlisle had been hovering over his wife's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, showing him her forgiveness where words would fail, "I missed you too old man."

Though there was an insult there was warmth in them and so Carlisle took them for what they were, wrapping his arms around Bella just a little tighter, something he could do now with little worry. She wasn't breakable, in fact he was sure she was stronger than all of them.

Emmett was tired of waiting. He had been so nervous at the start, afraid of how Bella might react to them all leaving, knowing that the story Edward had told them was not the full truth. And yet she had gone to accept Rosalie with open arms. He adored his wife but even he could admit she had been less than kind to Bella. And then she had accepted Esme with open arms. Warm and caring and the sister he remembered.

He had been more than surprised by her reaction to Carlisle, but there was nothing said there that he and Rosalie had not discussed between them in private moments, out of earshot. They had just been so afraid of upsetting the balance that they had not dared spoken them. This situation was terrible, but as a catalyst for change maybe something good could come from it. But she had accepted Carlisle just as easily as Esme and Rosalie when he had conceded his weakness. But he had yet to be properly acknowledged, except for an awkward half hopeful, half terrified look as they had entered.

But he was tired of waiting, he had missed his sister for too long. As soon as her and Carlisle had had their moment. he was ready. He would have gone sooner, but Rosalie's hand on his arm and a stern look had kept him in place. Temporarily.

"Bella Bear!" He was up, ready to meet her halfway, "I missed you little sister. I promise you we'll never leave you again."

It was a promise he fully intended to keep. She truly was his little sister in his heart, he had never been that close to Alice, she had always judged him, in equal parts for the stuff he liked and for the fact she didn't like the stuff she did. Bella had accepted him from the get-go, sharing in things they both liked and accepting the things they disagreed on as differences in opinion. He had been a fool to listen to Carlisle, maybe more of a fool to not bring up his concerns before now, but he could learn from his mistakes.

"I missed you too brother bear." She wasn't as warm in his arms, but that wasn't surprising, but it felt like home again as he embraced her tighter than he had been able to when she was human.

Maybe things were not perfect, but they were as right as they could be right now.

 _ **Oh look I'm alive. The long awaited (sorry) reunion. Though I am a feeble fool I'd really appreciate a review x**_


	17. Chapter 16

His lips descended on hers, hot and heavy, and full of victory. He pulled back to just look into her ruby eyes, eyes he had missed in recent years and yet that he adored. His hands were just the perfect size to frame her small face, and what a wonderful picture she made.

"You're already a queen to me, but soon my love, I will make you queen of this world." It was a mighty, almost unbelievable promise. And yet, it was a promise that had defined their relationship. Driven almost all their actions, kept them apart, brought them together and everything in between.

It was neither an easy nor a quick path they had taken. But they were vampires and they could afford all the time in the world; they were determined to make the most of it. They were determined to make the future fit their desires. They were not mere mortals; they did not have to make their desires fit the world. With some caution and patience, they would be not only the superior species, but the superior members of that species.

This, after nearly a century would come to be their hay day. Their moment of victory was nearly upon them, they just had to put the final few pieces into place.

Edward could admit that Alice's visions were not perfect, were not infallible, but it gave them a step in the walk of life that no other person has. That partnered with his own gift made them powerful. More powerful than they would have been alone. He was convinced that's why the universe had seen to it that they be mated.

Their whole life had been dedicated to demolishing the power of any and all who possibly could stand in their way, and with the demise of the shield, the God of War would never defeat them without his mate. Now was only the Volturi in their way.

But no one had been happy with the Volturi for many a year. Their unpopular laws and unfair ideas of justice paired with their own infighting would be their own downfall. It was a shame they could not have kept the Shield on side, she would have been a lucrative investment in the final battle, but the future did not have it in the cards.

There was him.

There was his mate.

Everything else was merely collateral.

Nothing quite punctuated that point like standing before their starry-eyed followers, a mixture of humans and vampires who believed they were leading them towards a better future, when all they were leading them to was a premature end of existence.

It had taken over a decade of clever propaganda aimed at these people to create such an array of cannon fodder. Well finding the followers hadn't been the difficult part. The difficult part had been hiding their true intent from the family. It had been a carefully constructed masquerade they were playing. Harder for his Alice of course, she had to pretend she had a mate. She had to make sure to give him apt attention for him not to question their bond. Otherwise their swanning off together went mostly under the radar.

The most difficulty came when Carlisle was most insistent on going to hunt as a group. The man was nothing if not persistent on maintaining the world's opinion that they were the perfectly little vampire family. It was laughable. Look where it had got him. It had all crumbled out from under him and he had not even seen it coming. A vampire should love no one but their mate. Vampire's were not human, did not function under the same rules or emotions. They were raw, built for fighting and fucking. The ultimate machine brought to kill. But humanity remained in the minds of so many like a permanent sedative that kept them under the surface and only taking what they needed when they could have been taking everything.

Maybe to an extent it was fear that kept them all immobile in their nomadic lifestyle. So, built for their fighting and fucking they learnt to fear the group mentality of humans. Maybe they felt they weren't superior against humanity combined and their machines. They were wrong though, and Alice and Edward were here to bring a revolution to this world that had never been seen before.

Like the Cullen's believed they were in fact in France. Though not quite for Paris Fashion Week as they thought. No, Alice had all the fashion she desired, the only other thing she wanted was world domination and she was here to get it. She, with her mate, stood on a raised platform ahead of 5000 vampires and 10,000 humans.

"In a month we take Volterra! We will spend this month in training, honing your gifts, improving your speed and stamina. The Volturi have grown complacent, stuck in their ways. But their ways do not work for us. It is time for the vampires to come out of the light. All those strong enough to survive here will hold a place of prestige. Humans you will be awarded, becoming one of us." She could see it all in her mind's eye, the line between imagination and vision blurring indiscriminately, as she got high on their roars of support and the human blood running through her veins, "Once where chicken farms reigned will be human farms. They will fuck and so to shall their offspring, and we in the light of glory. We will feed."

She could already taste the future. The fear of their entrapment making their blood all the sweeter. She looked like an angel, but she was death incarnate.

There was her.

There was her mate.

Everything else was a means to an end.

It did not pay to be a part of a revolution. What payed was to be its leader. Reaping all the benefits of its success with very little personal cost. They would not fight. Mostly. They would watch, watch as the Volturi with all it's might and gift plumaged through their ranks. But they had the number and soon they would be depleted. Only then would they come on the scene. Mates hand in hand come to take the crown from their predecessors.

Getting the humans involved had been an ingenious idea. It would make the Volturi laugh themselves into complacency. But they had yet to realise just how easy it was to convert a human's weapon that was previously useless to be fatal to a vampire.

Guns that seemed so laughable required so little modification. Instead of metal they used vampire teeth. Sharp and able to penetrate vampire skin they were perfect. Damaging. Infused with werewolf blood? Well then… they became fatal.

The war was in the shadows, waiting, biding it's time. The war was coming.

Just… no one knew it yet.

 **So it's a little shorter. But I hope you all enjoy the little update regarding Alice and Edward.**


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